A New Life
by Krystal.Lake
Summary: Rose finds love somewhere she never thought possible.  But... there are several people who aren't so thrilled about them being together.  And they'll do anything to break them up.  Anything... *smirks* read and review please!
1. Traitors

**A/N: Okay, so this story is basically a rewrite of "Second Chances". *shakes head* That story was awful... Anyway, I promise, this story is **_**way**_** better than '"Second Chances". I even talked to my dearest sister, ****NicolePantherOzera****, about it, and she said it was way better. And she bugged me everyday to work on it and update, so that really means something to me when it's coming from her. But anyway, I'm rambling. So, here's the first chapter of "A New Life". Hope you guys enjoy! =)**

_I fucked up. Big time. He was suppposed to be MY kill. He was going after MY charge._ My anger at Stan rose to a boiling point as I continued to look back on that day, long ago (well, okay it wasn't _that_ long ago) when he had "galiantly" jumped in front of me to stake Dimitri, when I had _obviously_ been about to drive the stake through his heart myself, ending his undead life. The first few months after the event had occured, Stan had said it was to make sure that no one got unjured, because he would have felt guilty for just standing there and watching me practically kill everyone else with me as I hesitated, but now, when ever I brought it up, he'd avoid the question completely, commenting about how lovely my hair was or something stupid and cheesey like that. But I never believed him. I always knew it was just a way to try to avoid answering my question. _I fucking hate him,_ I thought maliciously as I slammed my stake down on the kitchen table. It was the very same stake that I had almost killed Dimitri with; the very same stake that had been returned to me after I had returned from "killing" Dimitri, accomplanied by a murderous love letter.

The sound of a child's laughter filled my ears, and I turned around in my chair, waiting joyously to be pounced on by the two little devils themselves, Christina Rose and Christian Lucas. Christina reached me first, her tiny arms wrapping around my leg and clinging tight. Pyro Jr. (as I often called him), however, used his twin sister's shoulders as a support and leapt into the air, attacking my face with sloppy, wet kisses, nearly knocking me out of the chair. He was surprisingly strong for a four-year-old. If it wasn't for me walking in on Lissa and Christian while they were... uh... making the babies, I would have thought that Lissa had, had an affair.

I laughed along with the twins as they continued to climb all over my body, their four-year-old bodies not quite strong enough to hold their own weight as they climbed up to my shoulders. My laughter was short-lived, however. Stan poked his head into the kitchen, searching for the children. Although he smiled at me, I couldn't help feeling that his smile was fake, forced onto his face as if he were jealous that I had taken his "toys", as he liked to call them, away from him.

"I guess we now know who their favorite is," Stan joked as he sat down in the chair across from me. Christina peeked around from behind my hair and grinned toothily at Stan, the corners of her one jade green eye and one ice blue eye crinkling slightly.

"You're the monster," she pointed out matter-of-factly. "We're supposed to be afriad of you." With that, she ducked back behind my shoulder, and continued to tug and chew on my hair as her brother ignored "the monster" completely, too busy poking his slobbery finger into my cheek.

"It's squishy," he giggled girlishly, continuing to poke my cheek despite my quiet, half-heartedly mumbled protests.

"Hey, guys," Stan murmured quietly, leaning a little closer to me to whisper to the children. They both stopped what they were doing and looked around at Stan, who put a finger to his lips and murmured, even more quietly than before, "I'll give you guys both a cookie if you stop tormenting Auntie Rosie." The twins' faces lit up, and they clambered down from where they were perched and followed Stan over to the cookie jar, hidden on top of the refrigerator. "You guys will only get the cookie if you promise to not tell Mommy or Daddy about this, understood? You don't want Uncle Stan getting in trouble, do you?"

When the children promised not to tell, Stan reached into the jar and gave them each an oreo. With a wide grin on each of their faces, they both turned and raced from the kitchen, cookies held high up in the air. "Mommy! Daddy!" they yelled, running into Christian's study. "Look at what Uncle Stan gave us!"

Stan shook his head and muttered, jokingly, "Traitors," before taking a seat in the chair he had just vacated. I could hear Christian and Lissa laughing, whether it was at their children or the plans they were thinking of to "punish" Stan, I couldn't tell. And frankly, I didn't care, as long as I wasn't the one being stuck baby-sitting them all day long.

"Well, they are with you every hour of every day," I muttered viciously. "They had to have picked up something." I picked at my dirty and broken fingernails, trying to ignore the guilt that ate at my heart. _**It wasn't his fault,**_my traitorous conscience whispered, forcing the guilt to spread even farther and eat away at my heart even quicker. _I know it isn't his fault. But... But damnit... __**I **__was supposed to kill him. I promised him that it would be __**me**__ who saved him, no one else. And thanks to __**him**__, I couldn't fulfill my promise._ I glared at Stan as he sat there and watched me with thoughtful, sad eyes.

Stan sighed, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Rose..." he murmured, reaching out and taking my hand in his. I snatched it away, growling softly. "I'm sorry, okay? But you... were hesitating. I couldn't just stand there and watch you suffer from having to kill the man you loved. I did what I thought was right."

My eyes widened. Stan knew. Wholly _fuck_... was it that obvious?

Stan's eyes lost that joyful, mischievous glint they usually possessed. "It wasn't obvious," he explained. "I just paid attention more than most others." With that, Stan stood up abruptly and made his way out the back door, his movements stiff. But I couldn't help but feel like a bitch when I saw his shoulders slump and his head hang in... shame?... disappointment? Was that my fault?


	2. I'm Sorry

**A/N: This chapter's super long! At least, longer than any other chapter I've written before. It would have been longer, but I'm not too fond of super long chapters, plus I'm also not too fond of really short chapters, so I decided not to bore you guys with a really long chapter that'll take forever to read. (I don't even really know how long this chapter is... hehe... *sweatdrop*)**

I stood by the kitchen door, "unintentionally" listening to Rose's and Stan's conversation. My heart ached when I heard Stan mention Dimitri - Rose was still very sensitive about it; everybody knew that. It pained me to hear that someone else knew about Rose's and Dimitri's relationship before I did - especially someone like Stan.

I sighed as I heard the back door close and Rose let out a strangled whimper. Conflicted, I debated on whether it would be a good idea to go and comfort my best friend. I sighed again. _Best friend my ass,_ I thought bitterly._ Ever since I had the twins and started working at the clinic, Rose and I have barely had any time to hang out!_

Christian walked up behind me, wrapping his arms firmly around my waist and leaning his head on my shoulder. "You know," he began, "there's nothing you can do, right?" I huffed, and he placed a soft kiss to my neck. "Why don't you girls go out? Stan and I will watch the children. It's your only day off this week. Take advantage of it while you can."

I thought about that for a couple of seconds before a bright smile was plastered on my face and I wormed my way out of Christian's grip. "I'll see you in a couple hours," I murmured before kissing Christian's cheek and practically jumping into the kitchen.

"Hey, Rose," I murmured softly so as not to startle her. I sat in the chair across from Rose. Rose lifted her head, unshed tears gleaming in her eyes. I rushed over to her side and enveloped her much larger frame in my arms. "It's okay," I murmured softly. "Don't cry. He didn't mean it. Shh, baby, shh... It's okay, everything's going to be okay."

Rose began to shake violently. "He d-didn't even... c-care," she cried. I could feel the warm tears hit my shoulder. "He j-just... just... s-said it. So c-coldly... H-he d-didn't care - no e-emotion." Rose was beginning to babble, becoming closer to hysterics every second.

I said nothing for a while, just held my best friend tightly as she cried - something she's never before done, especially in public, so freely. When I noticed that she was beginning to calm down, I pulled away slightly, looking her in the eyes. "Are you okay now?" I asked quietly, rubbing Rose's arms softly. Rose nodded. "Well, I don't believe you. So how about you and I go out today? Just the two of us. You know, like the old days." I laughed as Rose's sad expression faded and her mouth formed into a wide smile within an instant.

"Shopping?" Rose asked excitedly, jumping out of the chair and out of my arms, and bouncing from one foot to another while she waited for my answer. I nodded, giggling softly. Rose squealed and grabbed my hand, yanking me to her room.

_She... squealed? She actually squealed? Omigoodness she's a girl,_ I thought happily. _I haven't heard that sound in forever._ Sighing, I smiled as Rose pulled me into her room. I watched as she changed her shoes, brushed her hair, and applied some light make-up. "Damn, girl," I chuckle. "Are you ready yet?"

"Of course," Rose yipped, turning around and looking past my shoulder. Her happy expression faded as she continued to look behind me. Curious, I turned around. Stan was standing by the door frame, leaning up against the wall. His arms were crossed, and his eyes were clouded.

"What do _you_ want?" Rose snapped venomously, her words clipped and cold. She took a step forward, her fists clenched and her mouth a grim white line. "Go away before I bite your fucking ear off."

I flinched, as did Stan. I knew Rose was violent, but damn, there was no need for her to be so hateful. "Rose," I soothed, putting my hands up and standing in front of Stan. "He's not here to hurt you, okay? Just let him say what he has to say,and everything will be all right. Just. Calm. Down. Okay?" Rose nodded, and I slowly lowered my hands, stepping to the side as Stan cleared his throat to speak.

I started to back out of the room. "I'll give you two some time alone, so there's nothing going unsaid between you two," I explained before closing the door softly behind me. I pressed my ear up to the door and listened intently on what was going on in the next rooom.

STAN POV

Princess Vasilisa stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her. I kept my eyes locked on Rose, partly fearful of the evil glint in her eyes and the offensive stance she immediately stepped into once the door clicked shut.

"Well," Rose hissed menacingly. "You have something to say to me, right? Well, spit it out! I haven't got all day."

I sighed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I thought I was helping you or something... I don't know. Just, please, don't hate me for something I said about something that happened over three years ago." I scratched the back of my neck in embarrassment, shrugging my shoulders apologetically as I felt a soft blush dust my cheeks.

Rose rolled her eyes. "That's not why I'm mad at you. Damnit, Stan, you're always jumping in my way. I can do things on my own, you know. I'm not some little girl that just _thinks_ she can rule the world. I'm a woman that _knows_ she can kick the whole world's ass if she pleases. And right now, this woman is getting pretty damn close to kicking _your_ ass." She jabbed a finger into my chest roughly.

I flinched and dropped my hand from behind my neck. So she didn't hate me for what I had said. That's good, at least. But how am I going to get her to forget about me saving her from being Turned by that... that Russian fuck tart?** (A/N: I don't like Dimitri. I just had to put that in there. Sorry to those who like Dimitri...)**

"Rose," I murmured, "please, calm down. I'm not intentionally trying to make you angry and upset. That's the last thing I would ever want to do. Can you please just calm down and let us talk this out civilly? You're making a big deal over nothing." While I was talking, I could see that my words were just angering her more. _Damnit,_ I thought, frustrated. _What the __**hell **__is wrong with her today?_

I didn't know what is was that I had said that angered her the most, but Rose eventually lost all of her self control sometime while I was talking, because she charged at me, her fist clenched. With barely enough time to save myself, I ducked away from her, grabbing her wrists and pinning her against the door. I heard a slight gasp from behind the door and shook my head slightly. _Lissa..._

"Calm down," I hissed, tightening my grip on her wrists slightly, "and I'll let you go." It didn't take Rose long to calm down, or at least _look_ like she was calmed down, but I wasn't entirely sure if I could trust her, so I kept a firm grip on her wrists until I was _positive_ she wasn't angry anymore.

_Good luck with that_, I thought jokingly as I began to remove my hands from Rose's wrists. Once she was free, she dropped her hands to her sides and walked around me, over to the bed, and sat down on the edge of it. She played with her thumbs for a while, her face downcast, before she said anything to me. The room was dead silent, and I thought I could hear Lissa's labored breath outside of the closed door. But that could easily just have been my imagination.

"I... I'm sorry," Rose murmured at last. She lifted her face to look me in my eyes. Her eyes were wide as she stared at me, and I saw tears begin to form at the corners of her eyes. I bit my lip nervously. Rose was... crying? What the hell? Was it "that time of the month" for her or something? She never cried, especially not in front of people. And, she wasn't normally this moody.

"...For what?" I asked, half not believing what I had just heard. Rose, apologizing. It didn't fit her normal character, but I could easily get used to the way she sounded when she murmured her soft apologies, her voice barely above a whisper

_Just like how she would answer me in class that first month after we had first met..._ I thought happily, remembering the day Rose and I had first _officially_ met...

_A loud crash resonated from within the halls. The students lifted their heads from their open books and stared at the door silently for a minute before they all burst out of their seats to see what had caused the loud disturbence. Children would never understand the phrase "Stay in your seats" if they kept becoming distracted as easily as this...!_

_I followed the students out into the hallway. It was so packed, I could barely manuever my way through, but I finally managed to break through the crowd of rowdy students with a loud "Let me through!" Everyone always did seem afraid of me for some reason back then..._

_In the middle of the sea of students stood Rosemarie Hathaway, a cocky brunette who thought she ruled the school, and all the students attending. She stood with her hands on her hips, a triumphant smile upon her face, and an evil glint in her eyes. If it wasn't for the childish way she pranched around another student that was laying on the ground, I would have thought her somewhat intimidating._

_Her voice was a little too high-pitched to really intimidate someone to a high extent, but her words made up for what her voice lacked. "And that, my dear friend, is what happens when you don't believe in me," she giggled childishly as she bent down to look her prey in the face - that's what she reminded me of - the predator and her prey. "Still think I can't mop the floor with your ass with one hand tied behind my back while blindfolded?"_

_That was when I noticed it - the small, silver handcuffs that attached her right hand to one of her belt loops on the back of her pants. __**Wow**__, I thought in astonishment. __**She... wasn't kidding...!**_

_The students surrounding the two miscreants let out a chorus of "oooh"s and laughed as Rose continued her little "victory dance" around the boy. I watched all this in amazement, but I knew I had to stop it before it went too far._

_"Rosemarie Hathaway!" I barked loudly, silencing the halls. Rose stopped in the middle of her little dance and turned her head to look at me._

_She smiled sweetly before replying, "Yes, Stan?" The students "ooohh"ed again, but this time it wasn't as loud, nor as long as it had been before. Even if it was a good "diss", "burn", whatever the hell they called it, it was still rude and unacceptable to call a Guardian, a teacher, by their first name._

_"Come with me," I demanded, stepping forward and motioning for Rose to follow me._

_She refused. "And what if I don't?" She challenged. She humphed and crossed her arms across her chest idignantly, looking away from me. Meanwhile, the boy she had been cricling was being helped to his feet by a couple of his friends. Several other Guadrians were rushing down the halls by now, coming to see what all the commotion had been about._

_"If you don't come with me now, your punishment will be far worse once they arrive," I pointed out, motioning for Rose to look behind her. She did. Her face lost its colour and her eyes went wide._

_A platinum-haired Moroi, Princess Vasilisa Dragomir, pushed her way to the front of the crowd beside me. She looked up at me and smiled apologetically, as if Rose's behavior was her fault. "Rose," she commanded in a soft but firm voice, "listen to him. You know what'll happen if you don't..." Her eyes flickered quickly to the Guardians that were still advancing upon the scene._

_I watched in silent admiration as Rose's shoulders slumped, she looked over at her best friend, groaned, then followed me as I led her to Kirova's office._

_She tried to make idle conversation with me, but I ignored her every word. "So, Stan," she finally said at last after I had thought she'd understood I was speaking to her, "How much trouble am I going to be in...?" Her voice was soft, and maybe still a little squeaky, but she sounded... almost scared of what Headmistress Kirova would do to her once she alone with her in her office._

_I felt bad for ignoring her, so I turned my head to look at her, only to find that Rose was struggling with unclasping the small handcuffs. I had almost forgotten about those things... Reaching down to help her, I grabbed Rose's wrist - the wrist that was captured by the handcuff - and pulled the key out of her left hand. Unlocking the hand cuffs, I grabbed them and tucked them away into my back pockets._

_"I'm going to return these," I began in a slow voice, "while you're in there with Kirova. You'd get in more trouble if you were still handcuffed." I looked down at her, and found her watching me silently, her eyes wide and looking as if they were about to overflow with tears. But I realized that, that was just how her eyes were. They've been like that ever since she was in the fifth grade._

_Whenever she looked at me, it was as if she were about to cry..._

_"I'll handle it," Rose murmured, more to herself than to me. "I'll handle whatever she throws at me..."_

I glanced over at Rose to find her staring at me intently. Her tears had dried up now, and her eyes were no longer filled with hate, sadness, or any emotion at all. They were just... empty. Blank. As if she didn't care anymore...


	3. Vanessa

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. It's been taking me a little while to get motivated nowadays... Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, because this is (supposed to be) where things heat up. ;)**

**(And no, for all of you dirty-minded people out there. It's not what you think it is... )**

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><p><strong>ROSE POV<strong>

Stan. That's all I thought about the rest of the day. He never left my mind. His _words_ never left my mind. It annoyed me how he could affect me so violently. No one's words, no one's smile, no one's _anything_ ever did that to me. With the exception of Lissa, of course, but those situations were different. And sometimes, I would only do what she wanted just to get her to stop nagging me about it.

I almost never remembered Lissa's words until I needed to. I remembered every word Stan had spoken while we were alone in that room... Even the words that weren't so nice and pierced my heart a thousands times. I remembered them...

The way he had looked at me; the way he had spoken to me; the way his hands had felt as they held me; how soft his voice was. _Everything_ that had happened between us in the past, all our fights, arguments, even our little pranks we used to pull on each other back when we had first started working together, were forgotten.

I was so absorbed in thinking about what had happened between Stan and I earlier, I completely missed the one-sided conversation Lissa was unknowingly having. She became extremely upset once she realized that I wasn't paying attention to her, though, and the one-sided conversation was over.

"Rose!" Lissa snapped exasperatedly one time when we were in a store covered from floor-to-ceiling in pink. "Are you even listening to me?" Lissa had her hands on her hips and was staring at me accusingly, her eyes wide in amazement.

I froze where I stood, in the middle of the aisle, and turned my head to look back at Lissa. I coughed once, loudly, then attempted to clear my throat. "Well..." I murmured, my voice raising an octave.

Lissa groaned. "I was saying that you needed to watch the children this weekend for Christian and I," she repeated. Her eyes were wide and hopeful, and I could have sworn I cuaght a glimpse of what appeared to be a knowing expression on her face before Lissa turned sharply away from me and proceeded to walk down the aisle in the store.

"Why can't Stan do it? He does it all the time," I complain, stamping my foot angrily on the ground. "How do you know I don't have plans this weekend, anyway?"

Lissa glanced back at me, a wide grin on her face. "I live with you, Rosey," she chuckled. "I know you don't have any plans this weekend." I groaned softly. "Besides, Stan can't do it. He's taking his baby sister around town for a tour. She's flying down here this month to visit him. Don't worry, though. I'm sure Christina and Junior would be on their best behavior. They're always well-behaved if Stan bribes them..." With that, Lissa continued walking, soon coming to a halt at the cash register.

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><p>I glanced out the window of the car, watching as the scenery zoomed by us. It was so pretty this time of year. The trees were just beginning to grow back their leaves, and the flowers were just beginning to bloom. Delilahs, lilies, daisies, carnations, and a bunch of other really pretty flowers all zipped past the car in a blur of colors.<p>

"So," Lissa began with a heavy sigh. "You never answered me. You will watch the children and not sneak out like you did the last time, will you?" Lissa glanced at me from the corner of her eye before smirking knowingly and chuckling.

I tensed. "How did you...?" I asked hesitantly, hoping the babysitter I had hired hadn't ratted me out somehow.

Lissa laughed loudly, the corner of her eyes crinkling slightly. "We came home early and met the babysitter. We paid her the amount you owed her for how many hours you've been gone. Then we pretty much told her to say nothing of seeing us and left again." Lissa shrugged her shoulders and smiled widely, enjoying the stunned silence her explanation had invoked.

We pulled into the driveway to find Christian, Stan, the twins, and a strange girl all sitting outside on the porch. Lissa's hands loosened on the steering wheel, and she cut the engine halfway up the driveway. Leaping out of the car, Lissa jogged up to the porch, pecking Christian quickly on the cheek and rushing over to the girl besides Stan. She was hanging onto his arm and smiling up at him as though he were her world.

"Vanessa!" Lissa cried as she enveloped the stranger in her arms. The stranger returned the hug, and they both squealed like stuck pigs. While Lissa and the girl - Vanessa - chatted and smiled and laughed, I sat in the car, my arms crossed.

_Who the hell -?_ I thought incredulously as I continued to watch the exchange between Vanessa and Lissa.

"You know," said Stan from beside me, his voice muffled by the closed window, "you should really get out of the car and come say hello." His arms rested on the glass of the window, and he leaned his head on them, staring into the vehicle at me intently.

"Who is she?" I asked acidly, my eyes narrowing once I saw Lissa invite Vanessa into the house.

Stan sighed. "She's my sister. I'm pretty sure Lissa's already told you about how you have to babysit this weekend?"

My glare turned to Stan. "Yes, she did, actually."

A small smile. "No need," Stan said happily. "She wants to take the twins with us, so you can have the whole weekend to yourself. That is... unless you'd feel left out and you would much rather come with us?" Stan smirked, and it irritated me so bad! And he knew it.

I scoffed. "I wouldn't feel left out..." My mouth twisted in disdain, and I crossed my arms, looking out the driver's side door. But Stann saw right through my little facade.

"Make sure you're up before ten this time," he told me before tapping the window once and walking back to his sister. I debated on whether or not to get out of the car. I mean, no one would know why I was staying in here, right? Maybe I could act like I had lost something...? Looking around, I noticed that Lissa had grabbed all the bags and taken them into the house with her. Sighing, I realized that I would _have_ to get out of the car, seeing as how my cell phone had fallen into one of the bags during the car ride.

Just as I opened the car door and began to step out, Christian and the twins went inside, the twins running circles around his legs and holding onto each other's hands.

"Might as well get this over with..." I muttered savagely before stomping my way up the drive and into the house. Sliding the glass door open, I opened my mouth th shout to Lissa that I needed to talk to her...

... And stopped in my tracks.


	4. Apologies Accepted

**A/N: I was thinking of having something else happen instead, but I kind of didn't want other people (by that, I mean people who actually **_**like**_** Lissa) to hate Vanessa entirely. So, I stuck with this one...! It took me a couple of hours to actually think of a reason to make Rose just stop walking. I couldn't really think of anything, though... Which is the reason why this chapter sucks ass...**

Lissa and Vanessa were sitting on the couch together. Well, Lissa was on the couch; Avery was sitting in a chair facing away from the couch, her head resting on the back of a kitchen chair that had been carried into the living room. Both girls were giggling and smiling, talking and bonding.

"Oh! Hello," Vanessa called to me, a smile lighting up her face as she picked her chin up from where it rested in the crook of her elbow. "You must be Rose. I'm Vanessa."

"I know who you are," I snapped, maybe a little too coldly. Vanessa's face fell, and Lissa's hands stopped combing through Vanessa's hair. Lissa glanced at me from where she sat on the couch, a look of shock on her face. Her shocked expression turned to a glare, though, as I stared back at them, my eyes hard and my expression cold.

"Rose!" Lissa snapped indignantly. "Apologize!" Lissa stood up from the couch, her hands clenched into fists and shaking slightly in agitation.

I raised my eyebrows questioningly at my supposed "best friend" before lifting my head and staring down at Vanessa through my eyelashes. "What for?" I asked icily, my words clipped. Lissa opened her mouth to yell at me again, but I turned away sharply and exited the room before she could say anything more.

I laid back on my bed, my hair splayed out across my pillow. The ceiling fan spun circles in the center of the ceiling, and I grew dizzy as I watched it repeat its boring, repetative course. Letting out a huff of breath, I rolled off my bed, landing on the carpeted floor of my bedroom.

_Apologize,_my conscience ordered me. _Neither one of those girls deserved the attitude you were giving them earlier._ As the voice inside my head spoke, it became more and more like my mother's. The harsh tone, and even the voice itself, sounded exactly like my mother.

"No," I grumbled aloud. "They deserved it. And you know they did." I continued to talk to myself, not caring whether my housemates thought me crazy or not.

_Go apologize,_ my conscience said again, this time with more force. _You'll regret it if you don't..._

"I'll regret it if I do..." But I still stood up from my position on the floor and made my way sluggishly over to the closed door of my bedroom. Opening it up a crack, I heard part of a conversation that Lissa was having with Stan. Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, I opened the door even wider for a better eavesdropping position.

"...Uncalled for," Lissa whispered furiously. Of course, they were talking about me... "I think you'd better talk to your sister. See if she's all right, I mean. That was kind of harsh."

A soft rustling sound. It sounded as if Stan were switching positions. "All right..." he said cautiously. "Do you know where she is right now?"

A sigh. "I think she's out back sitting on the steps. Ever since Rose had said that to her, she's been avoiding everyone."

A few seconds of silence, and then the soft sound of footsteps walking away down the hallway. "Rose, you can come out now," Lissa called to me, her voice containing a somewhat playful, yet agitated, tone.

_Damnit,_ I thought sourly, scowling at nothing in particular and opening the door the rest of the way. Lissa stood at the end of the hallway, near her and Christian's room. "How'd you know I was listening?" I asked in mocked shock.

"I heard the floorboards creak," Lissa explained matter-of-factly, her voice soft and teasing. "Now, care to explain what that attitude was about earlier, Rosie?" Lissa asked once I was standing next to her in the hall. My shoulder ground painfully into the wall.

I stayed silent for a moment, trying to think of what to say that wouldn't make me sound selfish or egotistical, but I couldn't think of a perfect excuse for the way I acted earlier. So, I started with an apology. "I'm sorry," I murmured softly, looking away from Lissa. I couldn't stand to look her in the eye. There's no way of knowing what I would say if I made eye contact.

"Sorry? Whatever for?" Lissa asked sarcastically, her hands on her hips.

Sighing, I lifted my head and looked Lissa in the eyes. "I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier. You two didn't deserve that shitty attitude. I'm sorry. I guess... I guess I was just jealous, that's all."

Lissa chuckled, but it didn't take long for it to die down. "Jealous? Of what? I was just playing with her hair."

"Playing with her hair - something you only ever did with me," I complained childishly. Okay, _this_ was my excuse? Wow, how lame...

Lissa apparently seemed to think so, too, seeing as how she shook her head and rolled her eyes. "_You_ always complain," she justified. "Vanessa had _asked_ me to braid her hair. You never ask." Her hands were on her hips, and she shuffled from foot-to-foot impatiently.

"Well," I muttered, "...that's not my fault!" I smiled playfully, hoping to get that beautiful smile back on Lissa's face. It worked. She smiled so wide and laughed, I found myself laughing with her.

"Go apologize," Lissa giggled, pointing to the front of the house.

Now that Lissa and I weren't frustrated with each other anymore, I could manage to do as she said - for now. I chuckled as I slid open the glass door. My laughter was halted, however, when Vanessa and Stan both glanced over their shoulder. Vanessa's eyes were bloodshot, and Stan glared at me.

Stan stood up, his movements jerky. "Don't hurt her," Stan muttered when he passed by me.

"No problem," I muttered coldly before I stepped out onto porch. The wind nipped at my skin, and I wondered how Vanessa could stand being out here in this cold.

Sitting down beside Vanessa, I put my hand on her knee. She sniffled and looked away from me, but glanced my way again when I started speaking. "I'm sorry," I whispered. My words might have been quiet, but Vanessa smiled all the same. "The way I treated you earlier was uncalled for, and I'm sorry. It won't happen again, I promise."

Vanessa smiled and giggled softly, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. "It's okay," she chuckled. "I realize now why you acted the way you did. I was taking your best friend away from you. And I'm sorry for doing that."

I smiled, but I could tell my smile seemed suspicious, and it didn't meet my eyes._ Sorry my ass,_ I thought coldly before extending my hand towards Vanessa. "Would you bless me with the honour of accompanying me inside?" I asked teasingly. We both laughed, and Vanessa took my hand. Well, more like she grabbed my wrist in a death-grip, but still.


	5. Pretty, isn't it?

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. At first it was kind of rushed because I didn't know what to write. But, since I don't really like short chapters, I decided to slow down half way through writing this, realizing that the beginning sucked balls. Big, hairy tennis balls. So - I couldn't help myself - I wrote some really cute fluff that plays a big part in the story - well, one of the really big parts of the story - as the second half of the chapter. Okay, well, I wouldn't really call it fluff, but... Oh damn. All I gotta say is: this is so far my favorite chapter. Yay! Hope you enjoy.**

**ROSE POV**

"How about we all go to the park?" Vanessa asked, her face lighting up at the idea of a park. Christina and Little Pyro stopped poking each other for a few seconds to nod their heads enthusiastically at the proposed idea, even though I'm pretty sure they had no idea what a park was.

Everyone was gathered around the kitchen table, several decks of cards spread out among us. There were casino cards, batman cards, My Little Pony cards, and flower cards. Yes, of course, those ones belong to Lissa...

"Found it!" Christian shouted, holding up one of Lissa's gardening cards. On the face of the card was a little heart draw around the picture of four clubs in the middle. Vanessa had propsed this game about an hour prior, saying that her brother-in-law had created it.

It wasn't a very entertaining game...

"The park?" Christian asked as he was helping Stan and I locate and clean up all of the cards that had been thrown onto the floor and flung into the other rooms. "Why the park? There's always a bunch of people and crying children. I already had to deal with two. I don't want to have to hear other people's children."

Well that wasn't very nice...

Vanessa's bottom lip jutted out, and her eyes widened. She looked as if she were about to cry. Vanessa stared at Christian, her eyes filling with crocodile tears. The room became silent as everybody waited in anticipation for Christian's reply. Even Christina and Pyro Jr. stopped singing to watch.

The pressure finally getting to him, Christain huffed. "Fine..." he groaned. Christina and Little Pyro jumped up from where they were seated on the floor, and they latched onto Christian's legs.

Everyone else laughed at the twins while Christian tried to pry their little hands off of his pant legs.

Vanessa had thought it would be a good idea to walk to the park. So that's what we ended up doing.

My feet ached and the sun was hurting my eyes. It wasn't that bright, but it had also been a while since I had been outside.

"Are we there yet?" Christina chirped impatiently from where she was perched on Christian's shoulders. Junior was sitting on top of Stan's shoulders, occasionally pulling his hair whenever he wasn't walking as fast or as slow as he wanted him to.

"Just a couple more minutes, baby," Lissa giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

One impatient sigh and a few groans later, we arrived at the park.

When Christina and Christian Junior were set down, they both took off for the slides, the only vacant part of the park. Which wasn't saying anything, really, seeing as how the park wasn't very large and there weren't many people there.

Vanessa took off with the children, and Lissa and Christian made their way over to a park bench. Leaving me alone with Stan. Oh, goody me...

"Shall we go for a walk, milady?" Stan asked after about thiry seconds of silence. He bowed slightly and extended his hand toward me, his eyes looking up at me expectantly.

I didn't know what to do. I wanted to go with him. I mean, I loved the outdoors and all, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to be _alone_ with him just yet. After all, he did still seem angry about the whole misunderstanding his sister and I had.

A small acorn hit me in-between the shoulder blades. Turning my head, I saw Lissa waving frantically and mouthing the words "Go with him". Christian was laughing into his hand beside her, trying (unsuccesssfully) to hide his fit of laughter.

"Might as well," I sighed, taking Stan's out-stretched hand. He smiled as he lead me away from the others, his stride confident.

The trees lined the edges of the trail, their leaves tinted with the hint of early autumn. They all leaned in a little towards the path, creating something like a small, hand-knit blanket over the dirt-covered road. Multi-colored leaves littered the road, covering the majority of the trail, creating what looked like a peaceful scene.

Until you walked it with the person you've been fighting with your whole life.

"Will you just... stop singing already?" I snapped, rubbing my temples in irritation. Stan's singing ceased - finally! - only to be replaced by a low chuckle. "What's so funny?" I bit my lip, forcing myself to stay quiet and hold in the insults I wanted so _badly_ to shout out at the annoying older man. _I promised Lissa I'd behave. And behave I will._ I glanced back over at Stan, who was watching me closely. _As long as this dumbass stops annoying the piss out of me!_

"I knew that would get you to talk to me," Stan chuckled again, stopping in the center of the leaf-covered path. I walked a little on ahead of him, not realizing he had stopped. Only when I turned my head to look at him did I notice that he was staring off into space, looking at an oddly-shaped tree.

"What are you looking at?" I asked, frustrated. I trudged over to where Stan was standing and gripped his arm above his elbow, tugging gently. "C'mon, Stan, move it," I demanded when he refused to budge.

Stan lifted his other hand, silently telling me to "hold on a minute". His face suddenly broke out in a cheeky grin, and he gripped my wrist. "Follow me," he ordered playfully, gently pulling me behind him as he made his way through the trees, leading me farther and farther away from the path.

"Where are we going?" I asked, shocked, surprised, and irritated. The whole point of a trail was for people to walk on it, not for them to stray _away_ from it! I mean, yeah, normally I wouldn't have cared. I would have been the first one to suggest - hell, I'd even just ditch them to go and see why the trees were growing so close to each other (secrets, guys, secrets) - the idea. But on days like today, days where I was feeling lazy, which were very rare, mind you me, I didn't want to do anything that normal, goody-goody people wouldn't do. Which is pretty damn boring if you ask me, but hey, I was feeling lazy and bitchy, remember?

The trees passed us as Stan pulled me deeper into the woods. As we traveled farther away from civilization, the trees grew less dense, and the brush and shubbery grew more scarce. Finally, Stan pulled me into a small clearing, surrounded on all sides by tall Alder trees and small rose bushes. The rose bushes were nearly dead, the flowers starting to wither away.

"Why are we here...?" I groaned, stomping childishly as Stan pulled me into the center of the clearing.

He ignored me, pointing to the ground, indicating for me to sit. Refusing to get my new jeans dirty, I sat on a nearby stump. The stump was damp, so my futile attempt at trying to stay clean (for once) was ruined. Figures.

Stan seated himself in front of the stump, crossing his legs indian style and folding his hands in his lap. "Pretty, isn't it?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

I glanced around me, secretly admiring the view. This place looked _so _beautiful; I didn't know how to describe it. All the trees' leaves mixed as they hung from the branches, dangerously close to dropping. Well, more like floating, but still. They fell.

I noticed Stan watching me, and I found my voice, though it was raspy. "Very," I murmured, awe-struck. He smiled at me, a small smile, but a happy smile.

"I knew you'd like it," he murmured, more to himself than to me. But he was sitting so close to me that the words were noticeable as clear as day.

My eyes snapped quickly away from the pretty blend of the leaves and focused on Stan's face. "And how did you know that?" I asked defensively, sharply.

Stan looked away and stared intently at a small cave-looking thingy-mah-bobber for a few moments. I waited patiently, hoping his answer wasn't as creepy as I was expecting it to be. But, I began to lose my patience, however, after ten minutes had passed by in silence. I opened my mouth to speak, and that was when Stan finally spoke.

**"I used to come here when I was angry," he began in a soft voice. I closed my mouth and leaned a little closer to his already-close-enough body. His voice was barely above a whisper as he continued to speak. "Whenever I wasn't feeling like my normal self, I would talk a long walk down the trail in this very park and come to this clearing. I found it when I was a little boy. Exploring. I was with my mother, and my sisters had been following me around. She had helped me get away. Told me that there was a secret place where I could run off to that my sisters didn't know about. She told me where it was, and I was gone as fast as I could without alerting my sisters that I was running. I found it. It's always like this, this little clearing. It's always this beautiful, even in the winter. The leaves may be gone, but the snow changes the scene completely into something even more breath-taking..."**

Stan's voice finally faded away into nothingbut a soft hum. A hum so low I could hardly hear it. When he finally turned his head toward me, his eyes were glazed over as if he were remembering something.

"So..." I began, "this is kind of like you and your mom's place, then?" I asked, my voice soft. Stan nodded his head slowly, his eyes starting to tear up a little at memories I didn't know about.

Hesitantly, I reached out and gripped his shoulder lightly. His other hand came up to cover mine, but before it did, I felt a small drop of rain hit the center of my hand. Stan and I both looked up and noticed that the sky was turning an unattractive dark grey color. The color of a terrible storm.

"We have to go. Now," Stan exclaimed hurriedly as he jumped up, taking my hand and dragging me along with him. We ran out of the clearing, dodging trees left and right as the rain poured down harder. Finally breaking through the trees, we discovered that Lissa, Christian, the twins, and Vanessa had already taken off for home. Which left Stan and I alone. Together. In the rain. The most romantic place to be...

**A/N: I couldn't help it. I told you guys it was cute. It was cute, wasn't it? Well, I thought it was cute. Oh, and about the bolded part of the chapter. You know, the lonesome paragraph that's bolded just a couple paragraphs above this author's note? I'm sorry about that, but I just couldn't help it. I loved that paragraph to cheese (inside joke) and I couldn't help but bold it so if I ever wanted to read it over again, it was real super easy to find. And, uhm... well, I think that's about it. So hurry up and review so I can post the next chapter. It's gonna be awesome xD**

**Oh, and one more thing, about the last sentence of the chapter... yeah, that is truly my opinion. Being alone out in the rain - just as long as it's not raining super hard - is really super romantic.**

**That's all folks! *shot***


	6. Where's Stan?

**A/N: Here's the sixth chapter! Yay! I am soooo tired right now... So please review and make my sucky night seem better. Please...? I will love you guys forever... don't take that the wrong way. G'Night.**

**LISSA POV**

The door slammed open and Rose and Stan stood in the entryway, dripping wet. Rose's face was one of anger, and Stan's was one of amusement.

"Oops..." Christian hissed beside me. "That's what we forgot..."

Rose stomped into the house, her fists clenched. "I'm _wet_!" she screeched at no one in particular. Her voice was loud, and it squeaked when she said the word "wet". Christian began to chuckle, but silenced himself as I elbowed him in the side, a warning to keep his laughter to himself while Rose was that angry.

"You think this is _funny_?" she hissed, stepping close to Christian and putting her face in his. Stan stepped forward, but he kept his distance, his hand twitching and his mouth set in a frown as he watched as Rose tormented Christian.

Vanessa had been sitting on the other side of Christian before Rose walked in. Now she was standing behind Stan, poking her head out from behind his back and checking on the scene before her.

Finally, after about several more minutes of Rose yelling and treatening Christian, Stan must have realized how severe the situation really was, because he reached out and grabbed Rose by the arm. "Rose!" he exclaimed. "Christian does not control the weather. It's not his fault." Stan ripped himself from Vanessa's grip and wrapped both his arms around Rose's waist, lifting her up into the air and spinning around to face Vanessa.

"What the he - " Rose screeched as she fought against Stan.

"Calm down," Stan murmured against Rose's neck. She froze instantly as his lips brushed against her skin for that brief second. As Stan carried Rose out of the living room, I noticed that Vanessa's face was contorted in pain.

I immediately jumped up. "Are you okay?" I asked worriedly, searching what I could see of Vanessa with my eyes. She said nothing but shook her head, her eyes watering. "What? What is the matter? Did she scare you?" I gently touched Vanessa's arm, directly above her elbow, and focused on healing any wound she may have acquired during Rose's and Stan's brief struggle.

Gasping, I snatched my hand away before Vanessa could swat at me. My eyes widened a little before I pried my vision away from her face, my eyes searching Christian's as he sat there on the couch, his eyes glued to Vanessa and me. He was still catching his breath, having it scared away from him moments before by my angry best friend.

_"What's wrong?"_ Christian mouthed once Vanessa turned her head towards where Stan and Rose had disappeared.

I shook my head slowly, my eyes half shut.

**ROSE POV**

The warm water hit my back, relieving all of my stress and anger from earlier. But it also washed away the scent of the clearing from my skin. I would miss that smell...

I sniffled as I got out of the shower, wrapping the towel tight around my body as I did. Standing in front of the mirror, I studied my face as hard as I possibly could. I looked dead. My skin was pale, my eyes were bloodshot, and my nose was runny. And the fact that I just got out of the shower didn't help much, either.

Taking a deep breath, I pried my eyes away from the mirror and opened the bathroom door, tucking the towel toghhter around me as I made my way quickly into my bedroom. It was only three doors down the hallway, but the breeze I felt wasn't feeling too comfortable at the moment...

The door to my bedroom shut with a soft c_lick_ behind me as I scooted over towards my dresser. I slipped on my pyjamas quickly, the strange feeling of being watched making me feel a little too selfconscious. The night outside was pitch black, and it was still pouring outside. It was easy for someone to stand outside and peer through a closed window. They'd just be... soaked, is all. Shoving those thoughts out of my mind, I brushed my hair and made my way out of my bedroom and into the living room where Christian, Lissa, and Vanessa sat on the couch, watching as the twins played some twisted game Vanessa had come up with.

I tried not to scowl as I glanced over at Vanessa. She sat in the middle of the couch, her arm brushing Christians. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he wished dearly he could get away from her, but knowing him, he didn't want to be rude to a girl.

Unless that girl was me, of course.

"Where's Stan?" I asked, steppping over next to the couch and tapping Lissa on the shoulder. It wasn't like I wanted to know where he was, but I just... felt like I needed to say something. To save Christian from Vanessa, even if it was for a short amount of time, and it seemed like it had worked. Vanessa's heead snapped towardme, her eyes narrowed. Saving Christian and the fact that it was so quiet in the living room, save for the children's giggles, that it was giving me a headche.

Lissa glanced over at me. "I don't know. But I think he's in his room," she explained, glancing back at the children when Christina cried out in pain. Sighing, Lissa chuckled at the shenanigans of the twins.

I nodded my head, sucking slightly on my bottom lip. As I turned around to leave, I caught Vanessa glaring at me from her spot on the couch, her lips a thin white line.

Stan's door was slightly ajar. I stepped up to it quietly and lifted my hand to knock. But when my knuckle connected with the door, it swung open, revealing a half-naked man lounging on his bed, reading a book.

My cheeks instantly turned a red brighter than a tomato. Stan glanced up as I squeaked out an apology, stumbling over my words and trying to tear my eyes away from the sight of Stan's bared chest.

Stan chuckled as he closed his book and hefted himself off his bed. My eyes stayed attached to his chest. There were so many muscles...

My eyes widened as Stan walked up to me, wrapping his arms around me. "Like what you see?" he murmured seductively in my ear. My forehead was pressed up against his chest, and I couldn't help but shiver as his chest vibrated from the spoken words.

My mind started to fog up, and I felt as if I couldn't breathe properly. Stan's arms were still wrapped tightly arund my waist, his hands resting lightly on my lower back. "You wish..." I murmured, my voice soft, distracted. I sniffed deeply and closed my eyes, relishing in the scent of the clearing that still clung to his skin, even after he had taken a shower.

A soft kiss was pressed to the top of my head, and I tensed up. I soon relaxed, however, when Stan pulled slightly away, his eyes staring into mine, filled with... something that I couldn't quite put my finger on. But it made my heart melt. I reached out and gripped his shoulders, feeling as though I was falling. It had been so long since someone held me like that, and it scared me. But it also made me think. Pulling Stan toward me, I hugged him, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face in his chest. I sniffed deeply once again. He just smelled so... good.

Stan wrapped his arms around my waist once again, his hands - once again - resting lightly on my lower back. We stayed like that for a while, in the middle of the room, the door wide open. After another couple minutes, I felt that soft kiss on my head again. But this time, I didn't tense up. Instead, I leaned into Stan's chest more, as he placed several kissed along the side of my face. His kisses were soft, and somewhat hesitant. _Waiting for me to reject him_, I realized.

Stan's lips pressed softly against my neck, and they stayed there for several, silent seconds before they continued their descent down to my collarbone. He nipped lightly at my bone, and I squeezed him close to me.

Stan's lips were at my ear. His breath caressed the side of my face as he opened his mouth and whispered, "I - "

Someone cleared their throat at the doorway. Stan slowly lifted his head and stared at the person standing there.

My blood ran cold as Stan smiled cooly and tightened his arms around me. "Vanessa."

**A/N: I'm pretty sure that cliff hanger sucked balls. But like I said, I'm tired and I don't care for reviewing the chapter and editing and revising it like I normally do. So get over it, please? Review. Make a tired, lonely (jk) girl happy for once, shall we?**


	7. I Miss You

**A/N: Super short chapter. And I'm really sorry for that. But... I felt as if this was all that needed to happen in this chapter. And you'll find out why in just a few seconds. Maybe you'll understand why I cut it so short...? Hopefully, you do understand. Because I really don't feel like explaining to you people. You're all smart enough to understand, right? Good.**

**Oh, and I have to warn you: there is a monster twist in this chapter. Actually, I don't know if you would call it a _twist_, per-say. But, you definitely weren't expecting it, I know that.**

**STAN POV**

I lifted my head as I heard someone clear their throat. Rose snuggled against me, burying her head farther into my chest. I felt her body stiffen as I muttered the word, "Vanessa."

Vanessa smiled icily and entered my room slowly, looking around. Her eyes fell on Rose and narrowed slightly at the sight of the girl in my arms.

"If I would have known you'd come in here to seduce my... _brother_," Vanessa began, "I never would have told you where he was."

Rose pulled away from me, her eyes narrowed and her nails digging into the back of my neck. She glanced over her shoulder at Vanessa. "_You_ didn't tell me anything," she hissed, "Lissa did. And besides, my intention wasn't to _seduce_ your brother." She pushed me away roughly and turned to face Vanessa, anger and hatred in her movements. "I could care less about your brother."

My heart shattered. I kind of figured she was lying, but those words I had been waiting to hear her speak earlier finally came, and I wasn't taking it as well as I had hoped I would.

Vanessa stepped up to Rose, her head held high and her nostrils flared. "That definitely didn't look like you didn't care," she murmured, standing on her tip-toes. Even when she was standing on the balls of her feet, Vanessa was still too short to look Rose in the eye.

Rose opened her mouth to speak, but, afraid of what she was going to say, I jumped forward and grabbed her by the wrist. Startled, Rose turned around and gllared at me. "What are you - ?" she asked in bewilderment. I turned Rose around and looked her in the eyes.

"Leave it be," I murmured softly for only her to hear. "It's not worth it. Go find Lissa and the twins and... do something with them. I have to talk to Vanessa. _Alone_." I narrowed my eyes at Rose as she opened her mouth to protest.

"Fine..." Rose grumbled as she yanked her wrist from my grip and turned around sharply to face Vanessa. She raised her head and walked past my little sister, her fists clenched and her back rigid.

Vanessa giggled once Rose was out of the room and the door had been slammed shut behind her. "Well, well, well," she chuckled slyly, stepping close to me. "After all these years, you're still that same old player, aren't you, _big brother_?" She pursed her lips and placed her hands on my chest.

"Nessa," I growled, trying my best to ignore her hands as they roamed my chest. "You know I don't feel that way about you anymore. What are you trying to prove by acting like this?"

Vanessa leaned her head on my chest, closing her eyes and rubbing my shoulders and arms. "But... but I still... want you, Stan," she sniffled. "I miss you. Home hasn't been the same since you went off to teach. It's lonely... and cold... and... and..." Tears started to slide down her cheeks. I knew they were fake, but I couldn't help but wrap my arms around her and place my cheek against the top of her head. I knew I was giving her what she wanted, something I had sworn off doing years ago, but I couldn't help it. Even though I had told her time and time again that I didn't love her anymore, I had been lying. Of course I love her. Just not the way she wants me to love her. Or as much as she wanted me to love her.

I sighed. "Don't cry..." I mumbled, releasing Vanessa and trying to pry her hands off of my arms. Without hurting her.

"Don't leave me..." Vanessa mumbled back in response. She tightened her arms around me as I continued to try and unwrap her arms from around me. As I struggled to release myself from her grip, Vanessa stood on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to my collarbone - the highest place she could reach.

"Vanessa!" I snapped, my voice harsh. Vanessa's head snapped up and she looked at me with pleading, empty eyes. "Enough with this childish jealousy. You're too old to be acting like this. You're acting worse than the twins. And they're four!" I gripped Vanessa by the wrist and yanked her hands off of me, pinning the behind her back. My hands were big enough to hold both of her bony wrists in my one hand.

Vanessa struggled to get her hands out of my grip, but I was stronger than she was. "Ow..." she whined softly. "Stan... you're hurting me." Her face contorted into a mask of pain, and I could tell that she wasn't lying. For once.

Turning her around, I released her hands and pushed her towards the door. "Don't let the door hit you on your way out," I muttered coldly, my words clipped. I clenched my fists and plopped down into my bed, putting my head in my hands.

I didn't hear Vanessa's footsteps, but I heard the creak of the door as it began to close shut. Before Vanessa closed the door completely, however, she poked her head back into the room and muttered savagely, "You were mine first, Stanuel. You'll always be mine. Don't think your new obsession for the next couple weeks is going to change my mind, either. I will make you mine again."

And with that, she slammed the door so hard the bang resonated off the bedroom walls and down the hallway.

**A/N: See? I told you there'd be a twist. Who would have known that Stan's... "sister" was putting the moves on him since she went to visit? ****But anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. I worked hard on this. lol Oh! And it was also beta-ed by "sneaky lunatic spy". Well... review, please~ It would mean a lot to me. See, I almost had ten reviews for the last chapter. Nine, to be exact. That's the most reviews I've ever gotten for one chapter. And it made me happy! :D So do it again. :( Or I'll send Christian JR. and Christina to your house. So they can pull your hair and slobber all over your cheek. Yeah, it won't be pretty.**

**BEWARE: They like to chew!**


	8. Bitch

**A/N: Sorry about such the long wait, guys. Almost a whole month! Wow... why does that seem so long to me all of a sudden? Anyway, I guess I should warn you guys now, huh? I started high school on the sixth, and it's really been keeping my busy, what with me being on the tennis team and my teacher loading me with homework all the time. But I will try to update as much as as possible between my tennis practices, games, and school. I hope you guys have it in you to forgive a highly confused and frustrated girl when she doesn't update as often as everyone would like. It would mean a lot to me ;D**

**ROSE POV**

Stan's door slammed shut. The noise echoed down the hallway, startling the twins. Christina and Junior stopped in the middle of their assault of hands, feet, and teeth, glancing up at Vanessa as she stormed down the hall. Her fists were clenched and her face was screwed up in a mask of unbelievable anger.

Terrified, Christina and Junior rapidly patted my stomach with their tiny hands and scrambled off of me. Their tiny legs carried them as fast as they could into the other room, where Lissa and Christian were making dinner for everyone.

Vanessa came to a stop beside where I laid on the floor. Tilting my head backward, I gazed up at her curiously. Vanessa crouched down, her eyes filled with hatred. "You may have won this time, Rosemarie Hathaway, but I won't let it happen again. You can count on that," she hissed menacingly, pressing her face closer to mine. She shot straight up again and turned her back to me as she began to walk surely into the kitchen.

I scrambled to my feet in a hurried attempt and shouted at her, "Hey, bitch, what the _fuck_ is your problem? I didn't _do_ anything to you."

Vanessa whirled around. "My problem, _bitch_, is the fact that you have what I want," she hissed, stalking over towards me, "and I don't like it." Vanessa was standing so close to me now, our chests were almost touching. Well, not really our chests, seeing as how Vanessa was too short for that to be anywhere _near_ possible, but it was still a little _too_ intimate for my liking.

I reached out and gripped Vanessa by her shoulders, pushing her back away from me. "There's a thing called personal space, you know," I snapped, lifting my head high as Vanessa stepped close to me once again.

"Bitch, I don't like your attitude," Vanessa said, her prissy voice gaining a slight Italian accent.

I opened my mouth to say something smart back, but there was a shout from down the hall. "That's enough," Stan snapped. He didn't sound too happy.

Vanessa turned to Stan when he entered the room, his face red with agitation. "But... Stan..." Vanessa pouted, stepping forward and placing her hand softly on Stan's chest.

"No, Vanessa," he snapped. "This behavior is ridiculous. Knock it off, the both of you." Stan's eyes flickered between the both of us quickly before settling on Vanessa once again. His voice was quiet as he spoke. "I think it would be best for all of us if you went home." He glanced quickly over at the door to the kitchen, and my eyes followed him.

Standing directly in the entrance way was the twins, their eyes filled with tears; Lissa, her eyes wide with shock and fear, holding the twins close to her; and Christian, his hand gripping Lissa lightly by the shoulder.

My face colored immediately, and Vanessa scoffed. As she made her way to the door, she turned around and spoke to Stan. "Are we still on for this weekend?" she asked sweetly, her voice low.

Stan sighed and nodded his head slowly before he walked over to the door and closed it slowly behind his sister.

Lissa ran up to me, the twins following behind her as fast as their little legs could carry them. "What happened?" she hissed under her breath as the twins caught up with her, wrapping their small arms around my legs and burying their faces in my jeans.

"I'll explain later," I mumbled.

* * *

><p>Dinner was uncomfortable and silent. Even the twins made barely any noise. Except their occasional giggles when one of them would draw a picture on the table with their fingers. The pictures didn't look very... sane, to say the least, but they were definitely... creative.<p>

"Stop playing with your food," Lissa giggled eventually, finally catching a glimpse of one of the pictuures Christina had drawn in her macaroni cheese. Her eyebrows stitched together momentarily, but when I bumped my elbow into hers and titled my head to the side, silently inquiring if anything was wrong, she plastered a smile on her face and laughed falsely as Junior stuck out his tongue at his sister before licking a glob of cheese off the tip of his finger.

I tried to push my way into Lissa's head to see what had bothered her a few seconds ago, but that shield she had been working on with Adrian for the past four years was too strong for me to break into her mind. The only thing I succeeded in doing was giving myself a headache. A headache that no amount of medicine was going to get rid of.

After dinner, Lissa pulled me into her bedroom, silently pointing to the King bed that her and Christian, and sometimes the twins, would share.

"Spill," she commanded as she sat down beside me. She folded her hands in her lap and looked over at me through the corner of her eye, waiting expectantly.

I explained everything. I explained everything that I had felt about Vanessa since the first time I had met her up to the little scene in the living room. Lissa sat and listened attentively, her eyebrows stitching together as I finished speaking.

"Well if you didn't want to be around her," Lissa began, "you didn't need to be. You could have been the little anti-social bitch you were after we got brought back to the academy. No one wants to mess with you when you're like that."

I sighed, my head pounding. "That's not it, Liss," I groaned. "It's not that I didn't want to be around her - okay, well I might not have wanted to be around her, but still. It was the fact that I didn't trust her that made me stay with you guys. I didn't like the way you two interacted - "

"But Rose - " Lissa interupted.

"Let me finish," I demanded, clenching a fist in frustration. "I didn't like the way you two acted together, and I didn't like the way she kept looking at Stand and Christian. It's just... weird, you know? No girl should look at her brother like that. And especially - "

Lissa clamped a hand down over my mouth. "Okay, Rose, I think you're done ranting for one night," she chuckled. "I'm going to remove my hand now. Do you think you can _not say anything_ from here on out about this? You're giving me a headache."

I nodded my head, and Lissa took her hand away.

"All right then," Lissa sighed happily, standing up and stretching. "It looks like the rain has stopped, so I'm going outside. If you wish to join me later on, you know where I'll be."

I stood up, also, glancing behind me at the window. Huh, the rain had stopped. "I also know what you two have done on the swing," I mumbled beneath my breath as Lissa walked to the bedroom door.

"I heard that," she called behind her before she closed the door.

**A/N: Not super long, I know. But give me a break, won't you, please? Review and brighten my very tiring night. It would mean a lot to me, and nowadays, I love it when I feel happy. And reading your guys's reviews make me ecstatic. So don't be a bitch and review :D jk jk But still. Review.**


	9. Ye Olde Ice Cream Shoppe

**A/N: I skipped. Time. I skipped time. In the story. To the weekend. Because I ran out of ideas. Yes, I know, it's sad. My futile attempt to make this story as long as humanly possible was an epic fail due to lack of inspiration for the time wasted in-between the "current time" (I had no idea what day it was (in the story and in reality)) and the weekend. So therefore, I skipped. Enjoy!**

**I probably just confused the **_**hell**_** out of all of you, didn't I?**

**ROSE POV**

A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. My very disjointed and jumbled thoughts, but my thoughts all the same. Christina and Junior stopped playing with their toys and looked up quickly over towards the door, their eyes narrowed. Junior's teeth were bared. Like a dog's when someone unwelcome entered their property.

_The look doesn't suit him very well_, I decided as I stood up and made my way over to the door. Stan rushed out from the kitchen just as I reached the door. "I'll get that for you," he said in a rush as I grabbed the doorknob.

I turned around and glared at Stan as he came up behind me, reaching out towards the door as well. "I _can _open the door, you know," I hissed under my breath. "I _do_ have hands. You know, those things I can use to easily kick your ass if you don't back the hell off right now." I turned back around and yanked the door open, plastering a smile on my face as the door swung open.

The smile fell immediately. Stan inhaled deeply as my body tensed.

Vanessa stood on the porch, clad in a black-and-white-striped, long-sleeve, cropped T-shirt and cropped denim jeans. She leaned against the frame of the door, her arms folded across her chest haughtily. "Well hello there, Rosie," she murmured huskily, her eyes drooping.

"_Vanessa_," I spat venomously as I glared at the real-life witch in front of me. No, she was worse than a witch. She was... a dragon, a dinosaur, and the wicked witch of the west at her worst all combined into the one. Times ten.

In other words, I didn't like her, and I especially didn't like the fact that she was standing on my front porch.

"You're here because...?" I asked rudely, releasing the door and crossing my arms after a few moments of silence.

Vanessa looked behind me and smiled at Stan. "I'm here for _him_," she breathed, lifting a finger and pointing it possessively at Stan. "It's Saturday, remember? He's supposed to take me and the twins out for a fun night tonight." She smiled and shuffled her feet, stepping closer to me and smiling acidly. "May I come in?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Nope. Now leave," I snapped, grabbing the door and attempting to slam it in her face. But Stan's hand stopped me from performing the would-be-awesome burn. "What the _hell_?" I asked loudly, alerting Lissa and Christian in the other room that something was wrong.

"I _did _promise to take her and the twins out," he sighed. He didn't sound too happy about it, though.

_I wonder what happened the other day after I left his room...? _I thought as I glared at Stan, his pained eyes staring back at me cooly.

Christian and Lissa were in the living room now. Neither of them said anything, but it was pretty obvious what they were thinking. Both their eyes watched us worriedly as I glared at Vanessa as she shuffled her feet some more, waiting impatiently for Stan to say something.

And unfortunately, he did.

"I think it would be best if we left now, Vanessa," he murmured, looking sadly over his shoulder and spotting the twins sitting in the middle of the living room floor. He then looked up at Lissa and Christian. "Is it still fine for them to accompany us, or do you think it would be best if they stayed home with you guys?"

I watched Stan closely, watching him closely. He was staring at Lissa and Christian pleaingly. To them, it might have been a look begging for them to let him take the twins. But I knew that the look burning in his beautiful hazel eyes showed that he didn't know what he wanted to do. Obviously, he wanted to bring the twins along with him, but at the same time, he knew it would probably be a bad idea if he did bring them along. Now all he needed was Lissa and Christian to tell him what they thought.

Finally, Lissa spoke. "I think it would be wonderful for the twins to go out and see the world," she chimed happily. "Especially with someone other than their parents. Besides, I can trust you to watch after them, can't I, Stan?" Lissa stared at Stan for a long while, the silence seeming to stretch on forever until Stan slowly nodded his head once in agreement.

A couple minutes later, the twins were wrapped up in their light autumn jackets and clinging to Stan's hand as he glanced back over his shoulder at me. His eyes were pleading, silently begging me to come with them.

"Hurry up, Stan," Vanessa growled, her eyes blazing with jealousy. "We don't have all day, you know." She gripped Stan above his elbow and yanked him out of the house. The twins struggled to keep up.

I turned back to face Lissa and Christian. Lissa was glaring at me, her arms crossed and her stance serious. "Follow them," she ordered. "I know you want to. Just go. And, while you're at it, make sure they don't lose my children."

I chuckled at my best friend, then I hurriedly raced out the door.

* * *

><p>"Stan! Wait!" I shouted as I ran towards the man's large, retreating back. He turned around to face me, and I saw relief etched onto all his features and blazing within his smoldering eyes. Christina and Christian JR jumped around Stan's legs, clapping their hands together as they laughed and giggled, their faces alight with joy.<p>

"Don't you think you need a jacket?" Stan asked when I finally reached the small group of four. His eyes traveled down my body, a small smirk on his face. "I mean, it is kind of cold, and your clothes are probably paper thin. If that." His smile grew even wider as he finished his statement, but I did my best to ignore that look he was giving me.

I shook my head as I lifted Chrsitian JR into my arms, relieving Stan's wrist of the iron-tight grip the little four-year-old boy had on him. "Nope. My blood is warmer than a volcano's lava. This weather is nothing to my awesome type-O blood." I grinned widely, chuckling as Stan raised his eyebrows in astonishment.

Christian JR poked my cheek again, his slimy finger leaving a trail of saliva as he traced an invisible picture onto my face.

"Hello~" Vanessa called from where she stood all alone a few yards ahead of the rest of the group. "Are we going to go or what?" Her voice was like venom, and her eyes narrowed at the sight of me.

Christina screeched as she clapped her hands, dancing around Stan's ankles as I hefted Christian JR higher onto my hip and nodded towards Stan. "You ready, Stanny boy?" I giggled as Christian JR screeched loudly, pulling on my ear and nearly throwing himself out of my arms and into Stan's.

"Well then," I scoffed, placing my hands on my hips mockingly and sticking my tongue out at Christian JR. He laughed heartily, his small, unusually-slim face lighting up with his smile.

Stan chuckled, motioned for me to follow him, and turned back around to walk with Vanessa.

The whole time we were walking, Vanessa said nothing to me. I had expected it to be like that, but it still satisfied me that she was acting so childish over something so stupid. After all, she might be his sister, but there was no need for him to "belong" solely to her. And if he wanted to walk with me, he could.

And he did.

Christian Jr and Christina ran ahead and walked with Vanessa so that she wasn't "alone". I shook my head and smiled, stepping unconsciously closer to Stan.

Stan and I walked in silence, but it wasn't awkward silence. Actually, it was kind of... peaceful and comfortable.

That is, until Vanessa noticed that we weren't walking with her.

Vanessa stopped walking and turned around sharply, looping her arm through Stan's, shooting me a glare as she did.

I rolled my eyes and flipped her off, smirking in content when Stan snapped, "Knock it off, Vanessa." Vanessa's mouth dropped open, and her grip on Stan's arm tightened visibly. He showed no sign of noticing her, though, and continued to walk close to me, murmuring to me in soft tones even I could barely hear. My smirk grew wider as Vanessa tried to hear what we were saying, but failed epically.

An hour later, we arrived at a small, local ice cream shop. _Ye Olde Ice Cream Shoppe_. Such a cool name for a modern shop, don't you think?

"What the Hell is the name of this store?" Vanessa cried as she stared up at the old, Gothic-looking sign nailed above the door. Her eyebrows were stitched together in concentration, and the tip of her tongue was protruding between her lips slightly.

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration. "It's not a 'store'. It's a shop. An ice cream shop. And the name _is_ 'Ye Olde Ice Cream Shoppe'. Braniac." I rolled my eyes and looked at the small lake over to my right. A couple geese were floating along on the surface of the water, their raspy squawks echoing off of the trees clustered near the edge of the lake.

"Well, why would they name their _'shop'_... whatever the name was again?" Vanessa whined, clinging onto Stan even more and rubbing his wrist with the tips of her fingers.

Stan wrenched his hand away from Vanessa, a scowl marring his face. His straight, white teeth were bared, and I heard the beginnings of a low growl emanate from within his chest.

The twins backed away from Stan when they heard the growl, and Christina began to cry when she looked up at Stan's verocious facial expression. Stan kneeled down immediately, taking the struggling four-year-old into his arms and kissing her forehead.

"It's okay, Chrissie," Stan murmured softly. "Everything's okay."

"But - but your face..." Christina began. "It - it was sc - scary..." Her eyes began to water again, and Vanessa and I watched in amazement as Stan calmed the crying child in an instant. Although, I'm pretty sure anyone could have done that, considering the fact that he calmed her down by promising her ice cream.

Vanessa placed her hand on her hip haughtily and made a face of disgust. "Isn't that why we came here in the first place?" she asked, her voice taking on that of a over-jealous and cranky cheerleader.

Stan looked over his shoulder at his sister, his eyes narrowed slightly at her. "Don't question my parenting methods." Vanessa scowled and turned toward the front door of the shop. Stan told the twins, "Auntie Rose and I will be in the shop in a couple minutes, all right, you two? Go with Vanessa and she'll buy you guys your ice cream." Just as Vanessa whirled around and opened her mouth to argue, Stan held up some money. "On me." He flashed her a quick smile before it vanished entirely, replaced by the look that he usually gave me during class when I was still at the Academy.

Vanessa huffed, called the twins over to her, and marched defiantly into the ice cream shop.

"Stan what - " I asked, but Stan's hand gripping mine cut off my words.

"Come with me," he murmured quietly in my ear, his warm breath tickling the small hairs on the back of my neck.

**A/N: Alright. Sorry it took so long for me to update this. To be honest, I had actually forgotten about it for a week or two, therefore I had not worked on it at all. But thanks to my sister, Nicole Panthera Ozera, I remember and finished it tonight. If it seems a bit rushed, that's why. Because I wanted to update tonight before I forgot about it. Again. And, I'm sad to say this, but it might take me just as long, if not longer, to update from now on until my next vacation from school. I'm so flustered with all the work, and these... things that have been going on. Very complicated, and I don't deal with stress very well, so there is bound to be some kind f break down pretty soon. I've kept it together so far, but I've been burying my nose in books, and not focusing on my writing. But I promise that I'll work on the next chapter as soon as I can. I still have to organize my thoughts on how the rest of the story is going to go... *sweatdrop* Well, I hope you enjoyed the story. Please review and let me know what you thought of if. :)**

**Oh, and uh.. sorry if there's any mistakes like misspelled words or even missing words. I didn't really have the energy to reread this and edit my work. *sweatdrop***


	10. Creepy Crawlies

**A/N: Okay, so, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter, and please review! :D Oh, and... To answer someone's question about how long "that stupid bitch" is going to stay in the story, as of right now, she plays a major part in the plot, so she's going to stay here for quite some time, actually. Although, no one may like that idea, characters and readers alike, it must be done. Well, now it must be done, seeing as how this **_**is**_** the tenth chapter, and I don't feel like rewriting the whole story. So, this is how it's going down.**

Stan tugged me along behind him as he quickly made his way towards the lake. Trees and shrubs proved this to be a slightly more difficult task than I had anticipated, but we soon broke free from the tiny, pricking thorns and emerged on the other side of the small, vicious wall of bushes.

"What are you - ?" I asked as Stan continued to drag me farther away from the ice cream shop and closer to the crystal clear blue of the lake. The ducks and geese scattered as we approached, tigs snapping and leaves crunching beneath our feet as we stomped on them in our haste.

"Just trust me and don't fall behind," Stan called behind him, turning sharply to the left about three feet from the edge of the body of water. He stopped abruptly beside a wall of greenery. Thorns, vines, leaves, and flowers growing off of hanging tree branches decorated the wall of a stone cliff that hung out beyond the edge of the water.

I sighed in frustration. "Stan..." I whined childishly, stomping my foot on the gound in a tiny little tantrum. "Where are we and what are we doing here?" I yanked my hand roughly out of Stan's grip and placed it on my hip, transferring most of my weight to my right leg.

Stan turned his head around to face me slowly. "So impatient..." he mumbled softly, shaking his head as he turned back around to face the wall of vegetation. "Just wait a couple seconds, will you?" He reached out and swept away the vines, flowers, leaves and thorns.

Behind the "wall" was a small cave.

I gasped in surprise and took a step forward excitedly. Before I could walk fully into the cave, however, Stan's arm jutted out in front of me, holding me back. "Be careful," he warned me quietly. "You might scare away the creepy crawlies."

I immediately jumped back and peered into the dimmly lit cave intently, waiting for any "creepy crawlies" to scamper out of the opening.

Nothing happened.

Stan burst out laughing as he watched me, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes as he tried to keep himself quiet. Extending his hand to me, he finally calmed himself down and took my wrist in his hand, gripping me softly.

"I was just joking, Rose," Stan chuckled as he led me into the cave slowly. I glared at the back of his head as walked to the very back of the cave, turned around, and released my hand. "Although," he continued, "I would watch out. There _are_ some bug in here that like to crawl up to warm places, if you know what I mean." In the dim lighting, I could see Stan's facial expression, and it took all my willpower not to laugh out loud at the way his mouth twiisted into an expression of disgust and his eyes gleamed with... something. I couldn't quite put my finger on what the emotion was, but whatever it was, it made his expression all the more hilarious.

Scowling, I crouched down and rested my arms on my knees, staring at Stan intently. "So," I asked, "why'd you bring me here?"

There were several silent seconds before Stan responded. "Because I wanted to talk to you, and there is no way I can do that with Vanessa around," he answered simply.

_Yeah, right_, I thought, not fully believing it at first. But Stan's next question made me second guess myself on my last thought.

"So, you don't like Vanessa very much, do you?"

So _that_ was why talking to me would have been difficult. Because he wanted to talk to me about _her_. _Duh, Rose, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure these things out, you know._ I bit down on my tongue to keep myself from speaking my thoughts out loud, something I had recently gotten into the habit of doing.

Clearing my throat, I answered, "No. I don't. And there is nothing you can do to make me like her, either. There's something fishy about that girl, Stan, and I don't like it. Not one bit. And I'm not talking about that, _'that time of the month'_ fishy, either." I growled quietly once Stan started chuckling. "Don't laugh at me. I'm serious!"

Stan calmed himself down once again. "I know you are," he reasoned. "But, the way you worded that was hilarous. And I wasn't going to try and force you to like her, either. Actually, I would prefer it if you two _didn't_ get along." I stared at Stan in disbelief for a few seconds before I lost feeling in my legs and toppled over.

"OW!" I exclaimed once I hit the cold concrete bottom of the cave. I pulled my arm out from underneath me and tried to rub the feeling back into my leg. Much to my disappointment and aggravation, it didn't work.

A gew seconds after I had hit the ground, Stan rushed up to my side. "You should have sat on your butt, Rose," he explained, trying not to laugh at me again. "That would have been the smartest thing to do, don't you think?" Stan looped his one arm arouns my waist and placed the other one on my left hip to get a better grip as he lifted me slightly up off the cold ground and scooted me to where he had been sitting a couple seconds ago.

"Hush," I snapped, continuing to rub my legs, trying to get the warmth and feeling back into them, as Stan took a seat next to me. We were so close that our thighs just barely touched.

"Now, now. That's not a very nice way to speak to someone who just saved your life," Stan joked, lifting his arm and pinching my numb leg roughly. I jerked my leg away from him, finaly beginning to get the feeling back into it.

I softly rubbed the spot where Stan pinched me and glared at him from the corner of my eye, watching him as he examined a particularly interesting part of the dark concrete covering the floor of the cave.

"Stan...?" I asked, cautious. I began to slowly inch away from him as discreetly as I could. But, much to my (un)luck, he grabbed my hand and pulled me to him.

"I... I have something to ask you," Stan murmured softly. He sounded... afraid. Like he was about to tell - excuse me, ask - me something that could mean life or death. "You remember how you said you didn't like Vanessa? Well... does that change your opinion of anyone else, by chance?" The way Stan had asked the question made my blood run cold and my eyes pop out of my head (not literally, you idiots). My mind was racing to try and figure out what his question could mean, but I came up with nothing. Which frustrated me beyond all get out.

I examined Stan for a couple more silent moments before answering. He was glancing nervously around the small confines of the cozy little cave, avoiding having to look at me as long as possible. However, when I started talking, Stan turned his attention to my chin. Or, he was looking at that general area, perhaps.

"Well... No. Why would it?" I asked, confused as could be.

Stan gulped, then cleared his throat. Instead of answering me, he turned towards me quickly and pressed his lips softly against mine. I sat there on the cold concrete, shocked, for a couple seconds. But then I melted into the kiss. Stan's lips were so warm and soft as he kissed me, his warm tongue exploring the inside of my mouth.

Several minutes later, Stan pulled away and finally looked me in the eyes. "Rose..." he began. "I love you. I always have. And... everything I've done in the past... it was to protect you. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if anything had ever happened to you. So... I guess what I'm trying to say is... Will you forgive me and be my Valentine?" A goofy grin spread across Stan's lips at the last part of the sentence, and I couldn't help but smile and giggle a little myself.

"Yes, I will forgive you," I began, "and, no, Stan, I cannot be your Valentine." Stan's face fell dramatically, and my heart broke at my poor choice of words. "Because it's not Valentine's Day, silly. But, I will be your... 'other half', your 'love', your 'lover', and whatever else you want to call me." I wrapped my arms around Stan's neck as that smile was returned to his face once again.

You know, I had never noticed how _hawt_ he was before!

Glancing to my left, I noticed that the lighting was different on the other side of the wall of vines. "Maybe we should get back to the ice cream shop..." I mumbled in disappointment, knowing that I was going to miss the solitude and comfort the small cave had to offer.

"Yeah," Stan agreed. "That would be a good idea."

* * *

><p>Vanessa was standing outside of the "Ye Olde Ice Cream Shoppe" when Stan and I returned. The twins were standing on either side of her, clutching at her legs and gazing down at Stan and I. We were walking so close, our shadows were like one ginormous being.<p>

"Where did you go?" Vanessa shouted down to us, her voice shrill and attracting the attention of the few others standing by.

Stan and I finally reached the twins and Vanessa, and I couldn't help the smirk that caught at the corners of my mouth. I wanted to rub it in her face that I got what I wanted anyway, but Stan didn't give me time for that.

"We were just talking, Vanessa," he explained. "No need to freak out over something so silly." Stan turned towards home, reaching out and taking my hand in his softly. "We should start heading back now. It's getting late, and I'm pretty sure Lissa and Christian are wondering where we are at the moment. No need to worry them any further."

With that, he started walking towards home, his steps wide in length and a - determined? - glint in his eyes.

**~*~LATER~*~**

Stan's hand in mine was so soft. His fingers gently caressed my knuckles as he turned my hand over in his. Stan's fingers intertwined with mine as we walked, and he was completely ignorant of the _looks_ we were receiving from Vanessa, whom was walking on the other side of Stan, trying to latch onto his arm yet again. Either he was clueless, or he was just choosing to ignore her for the time being.

The walk back to the house was... slightly uncomfortable? The only two who really held much of a conversation was the twins, and they were just picking fun at the stupid little formations that the trees, rocks, and other landmarks formed.

When we arrived at the house, we found Lissa and Christian sitting outside on the porch, their hands interwoven as they sat on the swing that decorated the left half of the porch. Vanessa grunted, wished Stan, Lissa, Christian, and the twins goodnight, then headed off for wherever she was staying for her stay here. I rolled my eyes at how childish she was being by ignoring my existence entirely.

"Where have you _been_?" Lissa exclaimed as she jumped up off the swing, dragging Christian along behind her. "I was starting to get worried! What took you guys so long?" Before she was even finished the sentence, her eyes glanced down at where my fingers were still intertwined with Stan's, and a wide grin spread across her lips.

_Looks like someone had a playdate_. I heard Lissa's voice in my mind, and then I heard soft giggles to my left. Glancing down, I saw the twins covering their mouths, trying to stifle their laughter.

Lissa raised her eyebrows as the twins took off running, grabbing a hold of their father's baggy black jeans as they went. Christina called behind her as Christian Jr. tugged on her hand, "Nessie was very upset. She said she do bad things to Uncle Stan!" And with that, Christina released Christian's pant leg and followed Christian Jr. into the house.

Stan released my hand, much to my dissappointment. "We really should be getting inside," he announced. "It's not safe for any of us to be out after dark." Stan glanced over his shoulder as the sun continued its agonizingly slow descent below the horizon.

Once everyone was inside the house, Junior and Christina's stomachs growled loudly, startling all of us. Lissa immediately turned on Stan, pointing an accusing finger at him. "_You_," she hissed menacingly, "you were outside with my babies _all day_ and yet you didn't feed them?" Anger burned through the bond, and I clenched my fists, trying to keep Lissa's anger from affecting my giddy mood. "I thought you said you would have it all taken care of? What happened to the dependable Dhampir I thought you t be?" Lissa's anger showed in the way she clenched her fists, in the way she ground her teeth together, and in the way her eyes narrowed viciously as she eyeballed the tall man who had made the mistake of leaving his sister in charge of something.

Stan opened his mouth to defend himself, but Christina beat him to it. "It wasn't Uncle Stan's fault, Mommy," she exclaimed, running over to where Lissa stood in front of Stan and I. "Uncle Stan gave Nissie money to feed us while he talked to Aunti Rosie, but Nessi was really mad and didn't buy us anything." A small tear made its way down Christna's cheek as she finished speaking. Lissa's anger dissipated almost instantly as she tok her daughter into her arms and apologized to Stan for putting all the blame on him.

_I need to talk to you_, Lissa sent to my through the bond. She turned her gaze to me as she thought this, and I cast a quick glance in Stan's direction, where he was making his way towards the kitchen.

Putting Christina back on the floor gently, Lissa grabbed my hand and pulled me foward, almost causing me tto crash into Stan. "Don't worry about dinner tonight, Stan. I'll handle it. And you can't talk to Rose because I'm stealing her from you."

Stan chuckled and rolled his eyes as Lissa dragged me into the kitchen.

"Spill," she commanded me once we were alone in the kitchen. Lissa opened up the cabinets and pulled out two boxes of macaroni and cheese, setting them on the counter beside the stove with a dull thud.

I raised my eyebrow. "Macaroni and cheese? I asked skeptically. "I hope you're planning on cooking something else with that, because you know the twins and Christian don't eat cheese." I leaned against the counter to by the sink, crossing my arms.

Lissa sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes, turning away from me and opening another cabinet. "Don't change the subject," she snaped, slamming down two boxes of mashed potatoes. "What happened while you guys were alone?"

Lissa and I made dinner as we talked, an occasional interruption forcing the process to drag on longer than it usually would have. I explained what had happened between Stan and I from the time I had left the house to the time when I returned. Lissa listened intently, her eyes wide. Joy danced in her jade green irises.

"So... what? Are you two, like, a _thing_ now or what?" Lissa asked excitedly, struggling to keep her voide down.

I scratched my head absent-mindedly. "Uh... yes! Yes, we are. Stan and I are now - drum roll please! - officially a couple!" A shiver of excitement raced down my spine. _What is it with me and older men?_ I thought in amusement as I helped Lissa carry dinner out to the table.

As we sat down to dinner, Lissa sent me a thought through the bond, along with her smart-ass attitude and a silent chuckle. _Wait a minute... it's not official until he asks you to be his girlfriend._

I groaned inwardly and glared at Lissa across the table. She had seated me next to Stan on purpose. _You just __**have**__ to make everything difficult, don't you, Dragomir?_

**A/N: All right, so... yeah! *fist pump* One of the longest chapters I have ever written. Man, how I wish I could do this every chapter. But, unfortunately, this will only be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, seeing as how my writing skills are horrible and I can't make a chapter super long, especially if I'm aiming for a long chapter. And I'm sorry for not being able to give my best work every chapter. And, I must say, this **_**is**_** my best work. Ever.**

**Oh, and... I'm sorry it's taking me so long to update. I barely have time to work on my stories because of multiple reasons. One, I can't concentrate long enough to write a complete paragraph; Two, I'm running out of story ideas; Three, I'm beginning to have boyfriend problems; And four, I'm just naturally confused, so this is all so overwhelming for me.**

**But anyway, please review, and I hope you ejoyed this chapter! :D**


	11. Nothing Can Hurt You

**A/N: All right. I realize that this has been way too long of a pause between updates. And I'm sorry for that. I've just... been losing the majority of the ideas that I come up with for this story. And it sucks. What is that...? Writer's block! Yeah, there we go. I think I have writer's block, because I am stuck on finding ideas, and I don't know how to word any of my sentences now. So, I apologize if this chapter... isn't as good as any of the others, because the sentences either may not makes sense, or their structure just seems... different than what I usually write.**

**Okay, I've kept you guys away from the story long enough. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review. (:**

_New moon. I really hated nights like tonight. There was no source of light but the stars, and they barely shone at all. Good thing we were safe inside the car. Or else we'd be in big trouble._

_"Are you sure leaving the twins home with a baby-sitter was a good idea?" Lissa asked nervously. I could hear her anxious thoughts through the bond, and they were beginning to drag my mood down, too._

_Christian sighed from where he sat in the back of the car with Lissa. "Of course Liss," he explained, his voice soothing. I could feel her calm down a little through the bond, but there wasn't a big difference in her mood. "By leaving them home, we don't have to keep an eye on them, and you know how Adrian is. He would've done whatever he does, even if there __**were**__ children there. So it was better to leave them home."_

_Lissa wasn't buying it. "But we didn't have to go to his party. I mean, we have a family now, you know. It's only been a year since we graduated, I know, and he was celebrating his return from Russia, yes, but we still didn't __**have**__ to go. What if something bad happened to the twins while we were gone? I'd never be able to live with myself if one of them got sick!" Lissa worried._

_The mention of Russia made my stomach clench tight. Not long ago had I been there, in Novosibirsk, trying to find the one I had loved for so long, aiming to kill him in his undead-dead-ness. Failing miserably, by the way._

_Stan clenched the sterring wheel tighter, trying to keep from snapping at her. He hadn't been feeling too well when we had left for the party, but he had went anyway, denying that he felt sick at all. But during the party, it began to show that he wasn't feeling too well, and I made Lissa and Christian get in the car, telling them we had to leave. For Stan's sake. He insisted on driving, even though I __**did**__ have my license._

_Lissa's fussing was making his head hurt even worse, and I was beginning to get worried._

_"Liss," I said, looking over my shoulder at her. She had her head buried in Christian's shoulder, clutching at his shirt. "Calm down. Stan can't concentrate. We might get into an accident. And then you'll end up in the hospital. And then you definitely won't get to see the twins. So I suggest you shut up and stop worrying. Everything's fine."_

_Lissa quieted immediately. "I'm... sorry..." she mumbled softly, burying her head in Christian's chest._

_The rest of the car ride was... somewhat quiet. The soft hum of the engine, the crickets chirpping, and the wind blasting through the trees softly. That's all we heard for another half hour as we drove down the road, not a single word being said between us._

_We were about forty minutes away from the house when I felt it. That nauseous tingle in my stomach that alerted me to the presence of Strigoi. Instead of the slight feeling of nausea I was used to, I felt like I could actually heave up everything I had eaten today. There were at least five of them, that I could tell. I gripped the dashboard and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stop the waves of nausea from growing stronger, even thought I knew ithose attempts were useless._

_"Rose...?" Stan asked hesitantly, slowing the car down slightly and glancing over at me with concern heavy in his eyes._

_I tried to catch my breath as I responded, "S - Strigoi." Stan stopped the car immediately, told Lissa and Christian to stay inside, grabbed his stake, and bounded out of the car. I followed suit, but I didn't get very far before I was surrounded by three of them. Their eyes were ringed in red, and their teeth protruded from between their lips, ruining the beauty of the person that they once were._

_"Aw, what a shame," the Strigoi in front of me hummed, his voice deep and his words slurred. "This one is so pretty. And lively. Look at how she tries to stand up straight, just to protect those damn Moroi." I tightened my grip on my stake, straightening my back even more._

_Trying to sound as threatening as possible, I hissed, "Looks can be deceiving. I may be cute, but I can also kick your ass in a second. I suggest you __**don't**__ cross me." That only caused the Strigoi to laugh at me, their voices loud and annoying. I tightened my grip on my stake even more, forcing myself not to strike._

_**Lesson number one: Never hestiate**__. I heard Dimitri's voice loud and clear in my mind, and I locked my jaw, glaring at the Strigoi in front of me. __**I'm not hesitating**__, I thought to myself, trying to banish Dmitri's voice from my mind. __**I'm just... waiting for them to attack me first. Yeah, that's right. I'm waiting. Calculating my move, is all.**__ To take my mind off of Dimitri, I actually did start looking around me, examining my surroundings. Trying to see if there was any possible way out of this without getting hurt too much. I saw no chance. There were two Strigoi on either side of me, and one in front of me. I knew without having to try that if I tried to turn around and escape, there would be no surprise in doing that._

_**They planned this**__, I thought, cursing silently to myself. They had planned on coming up on me like this, and they were waiting for me to try to turn around. But, I was smarter than them._

_I tensed my muscles, and I saw the Strigoi do the same. Although, while they were getting ready for me to try to turn around, and I was getting ready to attack them straight on. I heard Stan yell something from farther away, closer to the woods the Strigoi had been hidden in, but I couldn't discern what he was saying. I saw the Strigoi's eyes flick to the side, and I took my chance. I leaped into the air as silently as I could, and I brought the stake down. I wasn't even on top of the Strigoi in front of me yet, and the other two had a hold of my ankles. They pulled me towards them, but I slammed my stake into the chest of the Strigoi I was above, anchoring myself to the ground for a few more moments._

_The strength of the Strigoi was too much for me, and they managed to pull me - and my stake - off of the Strigoi I had tackled first. Turning quickly around, I swiped at the two Strigoi who still had a tight grip on my ankles with my stake, taking up the torturing methods I had used on the one Strigoi in Novosibirsk. The stake connnected with the chest of the closest, and smallest, Strigoi that had attacked me, and he hissed loudly, clutching at the opened wound where the tip of the stake had made contact._

_"You __**bitch**__!" The strigoi hissed, and he went to attack me from the front, but before he could get anywhere, Stan staked him from behind, tossing him to the ground once his body had gone limp._

_I looked around me as Stan came up and extended his hand, helping me to my feet. "Are you all right, Rose?" Stan asked, worry evident in his voice._

_"There was another one..." I murmured, partly to myself and partly to Stan, so he could know to not let his guard down. "Where the Hell did it go...?" I looked around me, waiting for the distinct nauseous feeling that was associated with being near Strigoi._

_But the feeling never came. I looked at Stan worriedly, and then I heard it. The rustle of leaves behind me, as if someone was trying to sneak up on us - someone tall and not used to being faced with two highly trained Dhampirs ready and waiting for them to show themselves._

_"Roza..." That soft voice beckoned to me not far from behind me. I turned around quickly, hoping that I was just hearing those voices again. Those horrible voices that haunted my dreams every night..._

_I heard a grunt form behind me, and I whirled around to see Stan flying through the air, an even darker figure standing in his place. I gasped, and the large shadow turned around._

_My knees began to wobble, and I felt my vision blur with the building up of unshed tears. Trying to keep my balance, I planted my feet firmly in the ground and gripped my stake tightly, as if my life depended on it. Technically, it did._

_"Well hello, Roza," Dimitri murmured seductively, his red-ringed eyes capturing mine in an endless gaze. I tried to move my feet, to my arms, any part of my body, but it was as if I was paralyzed. The only thing that could move was my heart, pumping blood through my body quicker than a hummingbird's heartbeat._

_Dimitri disappeared from in front of me, and I snapped out of my daze. Turning my head, I tried to find out where he could have gone. I flashed my gaze quickly over to the van for a second, to make sure that Lissa and Christian were all right. And, sure enough, they were both pressing their faces against the window, watching the fight with anxious anticipation. I shook my head, a small smile on my lips._

_**Of course he wouldn't go after them, you nit wit**_,_ I thought in anger. __**He's after you, not them. All he wants is to kill you, like he promised he would.**__ I gulped in a large breath of air, and then closed my eyes for a second, trying to calm myself down and gather my thoughts. Just as I opened my eyes, I saw Dimitri standing in front of me, only a few inches of dark space between us._

_"Roza..." Dimitri lifted up his hand and caressed my cheek softly. I tried to keep my eyes oen, but the familiar touch of his skin won, forcing me to close my eyes. The next minute, a hand as hard and as cold as iron gripped my hair, lifting me into the air. I flew backward, and right as I landed on the hard ground, I heard his voice whisper in my ear, "Stupid little blood whore. How can you dream of being a great Guardian when you can't even conquer your own over-active teenage hormones?" Dimitri lifted me up again, this time by the front collar of my yellow silk party shirt. He let me hang in the air for a few minutes before tossing me towards the road._

_I heard Lissa screech lightly from inside the van, and I heard the leaves rustle as a strong wind blew past us. I jumped to my feet just as Dimitri appeared before me, his red-ringed, evil eyes narrowed, his mouth curved in a wicked grin. My grip on my stake tightened, and I positioned it in front of me, pointing toward where Dimitri's undead heart would be._

_Dimitri approached me slowly, stopping just two inches from the point of my stake. "Well?" He asked impatiently. "Do it. Or are you too - " Dimitri's words cut off in the middle of the sentence, and he wobbled on his feet, crashing to the ground a few seconds later._

_Standing behind him was Stan, his face contorted into a mask of pure rage._

A scream pierced the silent night. I hugged my knees to my chest, squeezing my eyes shut and waiting for the noise to stop grating on the inside of my eardrums. It took me only a few seconds to realize that the screaming was coming from my mouth. I tried to stop myself from screaming, but I just kept screaming louder and louder, until my throat was so sore that no sound came out. But I still continued to scream. Well, tried to scream. I could hear myself screaming, but I knew there was no sound coming from my lips. Tears began to cascade down my face, and I gripped my knees tighter to my chest.

"Rose!" Lissa shouted as she bounded into my bedroom in only her night shirt and booty shorts. Christian followed not far behind her, clad in Pepsi pajama bottoms and a worn-out wife-beater.

"What happened?" he shouted loudly, his face a mask of shock.

Lissa ran up to me, her arms wrapped tightly around my shoulders. She kissed my cheekbone and rested her cheek on the top of my head, murmuring, "It's all right, Rose. It's all right." I clung to Lissa, willing the images in my head to go away.

Just as I was about to open my mouth, Stan appeared at the foot of my bed, his eyes filled with worry. I looked at him, the tears still pouring down my face.

"I'll take it from here, Lissa," Stan murmured softly, taking me from Lissa's arms and pulling me into his lap. Lissa nodded her head and left the room, dragging Christian behind her.

I clutched at Stan's bare chest, my fingernails digging into his flesh. "It was so horrible," I sobbed, trying to calm myself down. Stan's arms were warm around my body as he held me closer to him, his large hand rubbing my arm soothingly.

"Shh... Everything's okay now, Rose," he crooned, kissing the top of my head and resting his cheek against my temple. "It was just a nightmare. Nothing to be afraid of. Shh, calm down. I'm here now. Nothing can hurt you." My tears finally began to slow down some at his words, but I still wasn't entirely comforted.

"Don't leave me," I cried, wrapping my arms around Stan's exposed waist. I turned my head and laid my cheek against his chest, staring into the corner of the room. "Please... Don't leave me." A small tear escaped my eyes again, and I reached up to wipe it away.

Stan's hand gripped mine softly. He lowered my hand back into my lap and cupped my face, forcing me to look up at him. "I'll never leave you, Rose," he promised, kissing my nose lightly. His thumbs brushed away the tears that had managed to escape from my eyes yet again, and then he rubbed little circles underneath my eyes with the pads of his thumbs.

"Stay with me tonight," I commanded softly. "Please." I looked up at Stan, biting my lower lip. "I don't want to have that dream again."

Stan smiled slowly, his eyes dancing with joy, even though his face showed how fatigued he truly was. "Anything for you, Rose," he whispered, pushing me down against the mattress. He laid down beside me and tossed the covers over us.

I sighed. "Thank-you." Curling up to Stan's warm body, I rested my head against his chest as he wrapped his arm around my waist. Stan kissed my nose softly before closing his eyes himself. He began humming a lullaby softly, and I felt myself drifting slowly off to sleep.

**A/N: All right then. Reading this over, I realize that... this isn't as bad as I had thought it was in the beginning of the chapter. But, I still want reviews. At least five. That's all I'm asking. Five. I don't even care if all they say is "Aww how cute" or something really cheesey and corny like that. But I still want - no, **_**need **_** - at least fve reviews. Think you guys can do that for me? Thanks ;)**

**Oh, and I guess I should mention this, huh? If I don't have at least five reviews, then I'm not updating. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you guys review and let me know what you thought of it.**


	12. What Happened?

**A/N: All right. This chapter took forever to write. And I'm not even exaggerating on that in the slightest. I had started writing this not long after I had written that author's note - maybe a day or two afterwards - and then I just... lost interest, acquired a bad case of writers' block, or was too busy or distracted to write. I haven't really written that much since the last update, now that I think about it.**

**But anyway, I'm pretty sure you guys are anxious to read this chapter, huh? I'd be surprised if you guys were still reading this author's note. But, if you are, then I feel as if I must warn you - this chapter... has a major... I wouldn't call it a twist, but it's - surprising, to say the least. At least, towards the end it is.**

**I hope you enjoy this long-awaited chapter, and please review and let me know what you think. :)**

The first thing I felt when I awoke the next morning was warm, strong arms wrapped around my waist. Then I felt warm breath tickling the crook of my neck, brushing against the hollow at the base of my throat. The arms tightened around my waist, and a forehead connected with mine. Soft lips brushed against the tip of my nose, but I refused to open my eyes. Instead, I curled my body up tighter, snuggling closer to the large frame beside me.

A chuckle. "You have to get up some time today, you know that, don't you, Rose?" Stan's deep voice trickled into my ears, like honey dripping into a hot cup of unsweetened tea. The pads of his thumbs drew small, intricate designs on my lower back, his arms still wrapped tightly around my waist. I didn't want to go anywhere at the moment. I just wanted to lay in bed all day.

Stan shifted his position, turning onto his back. The absence of his warmth left my body feeling cold and exposed (and wearing only an extra-large T-shirt and a pair of underwear wasn't really helping). Large fingers tangled themselves into my hair, playing with the frizzy strands of dark brown hair hanging limply over my closed eyelids. One of Stan's fingers poked me in the eye as it twirled a strand of hair.

I jerked backward, almost falling off the bed. Stan's hand gripped me above the elbow tightly, pulling me back onto the bed before I could hit my head on the hardwood floor. My fingers immediately curled against his bare chest, my face buried in the crook of his neck. Stan wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me close to him.

He laughed.

I shoved myself away from him, trying my hardest not to smile. "It's not funny, Stan!" I exclaimed, finally giving way to the smile. "I almost fell!" I glanced over the edge of the bed at the floor three feet away. "That would've hurt..."

Stan tried to control his laughter, but it failed.

Eventually, he was able to stop laughing for a bit. "But your face - so hilarious."

I crossed my arms over my chest indignantly. "You don't poke a sleeping person in the eyes. Or else something like that happens."

"But you weren't asleep."

I pursed my lips, sliding off the bed. "No. But I was half-asleep. That still counts as sleeping."

"No, it doesn't," Stan argued playfully. "And, besides, you weren't even half-asleep! You were wide awake. I saw you smile when I kissed your nose. I wasn't born yesterday, Rosie." Stan leaned across the bed and pinched the back of my upper thigh lightly, climbing out of the bed and slipping quickly out the room before I could even turn around.

Turning to my closet, I pulled out my favorite pair of ripped, acid-washed jeans and a blood red baby-t. Slipping them on quickly, I brushed my hair and my teeth in the bathroom connected to my room.

I studied my reflection in the mirror for a while, admiring how adorable I looked. Smiling a wide, cheesey grin, I watched as my eyes crinkled slightly at the corners, and my cheeks turned a soft pink, my teeth gleaming in the flourescent lighting of the bathroom. I ran my tongue over my teeth before placing my index finger underneath my eye and pulling the skin down, sticking my tongue out between my closed lips.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lissa's voice drifted to me from the entrance to the bathroom. Glancing over at her, I stuck my tongue back in my mouth and released the skin underneath my eye. Lissa was leaning against the door frame, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyebrow raised questioningly.

I smiled a sheepish smile. "Nothing!" I exclaimed loudlym feigning embarrassment. "I was... I was just... I was bored, okay!"

Lissa facepalmed, chuckling. "You know, Rose, you're something else," she laughed, tossing my nightshirt at my head. I caught it in midair and tossed it in the dirty laundry hamper beside the sink.

"Now hurry up and finish making your stupid faces in the mirror," Lissa called back to me as she exited my bedroom. "We have plans today!"

I rubbed my hand down my face, making a very unappealing facial expression. "Again...?" I mumbled, disappointed. I didn't even want to get out of bed this morning, let alone leave the house...

***~*~VAMPIRE ACADEMY*~*~**

Stan and I washed the dishes from breakfast as Lissa was getting the twins ready for whatever she had planned for the day.

I leaned closer to Stan and whispered to him, "Do you have any idea what she has planned for us?" I asked him quietly, my voice so low even Stan could barely hear it.

He glanced over at me and smiled slowly, his perfectly straight, white teeth peeking out between his lips. "I have absolutely no idea, Rosie," he murmured, walking away from the sink quickly as I went to hit his arm. He chuckled as he joined Lissa and the twins at the door, waiting for Christian and I to hurry up what we were doing so we could leave.

"DADDY!" The twins called simultaneously, jumping up and down excitedly as Christian stepped into the room. I joined them at the backdoor, slipped on my shoes, and we headed outside.

As soon as the twins' feet touched the wood of the back porch, they took off, running towards the large trees that surrounded the property.

I looked around us, and shook my head. "This is what you badgered me for earlier?" I asked Lissa, peeking at her through the corner of my eye.

Lissa glanced over at me, her smirk confusing me even more. "Well..." she dragged out the word. "I was actually planning on kicking you and Stan out of the house for a few hours while Christian and I watched the twins play outside."

"They've been bugging us to let them climb the trees since forever, so we decided to let them, but only if we're out here," Christian added, coming up behind Lissa and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Lissa nodded her head. "Uh-huh. And since you and Stan have gotten... close... we figured it would be nice to let you two have some... alone time." At this, Lissa wagged her eyebrows at me and Stan, "You know, _without_ the twins being there and worrying you guys."

Stan chuckled, but I could feel my face burning, a bright red coloring my cheeks and ears.

"Come on," Stan whispered to me, grabbing me above the elbow and leading me away, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips.

I glanced at him as he led me through the back yard, nearing the edge of the trees that cast eerie shadows across the yard. "You knew about this, didn't you?" I asked him, knowing the answer before he even responded.

"Exactly."

I shook my head, trying to figure out where we were going. There's nothing back here but trees and rocks, right? I mean, it _is_ the forest after all. If you could call it a forest, anyway. The trees stretched about a quarter to a half a mile south, with random formations of rocks jutting up at random intervals.

After what felt like an hour of walking (but was really only twenty minutes), I yanked my hand from Stan's soft grip and stopped walking, crossing my arms over my chest and tapping my foot impatiently.

Stan turned around, looking confused. "What are you -?"

"Where are we going?" I cut him off. I tilted my head a bit to the side, my eyes narrowed. I knew I was acting immature about something so harmless - I mean, it's _Stan_. I can trust Stan - but I just couldn't get past the feeling that something bad was going to happen.

Stan sighed and walked over to me, placing his hands on my hips lightly and resting his forehead on the top of my head. His breath tickled as he spoke. "I have a surprise for you. The twins and I found it one day when we were 'exploring'. You remember that day, don't you?" Stan chuckled softly as he kissed my temple, waiting for my reply.

I rolled my eyes, trying not to smile. "Yes, I remember," I sighed, giving in and giggling a little at the memory. The twins had run into the kitchen, so anxious to tell "Auntie Rosie" about what they had discovered that day while they were exploring. But Stan came in and took them aside, pulling them aside and whispering something in their ears. The twins, after groaning in sadness, looked at each other and giggled, running into the living room and tackling Christian.

Shaking my head, I looked up at Stan, our noses almost touching. "And where would this place be?" I asked, genuinely curious. I tilted my head to the side a bit, hoping that would convince Stan to tell me where the secret place they discovered was located.

My attempt failed.

"You'll see," Stan whispered seductively in my ear, nipping the tip of my ear softly before backing away and leading me deeper into the woods, his arm wrapped securely around my waist.

**~*~*~VAMPIRE ACADEMY~*~*~**

"We're here," Stan murmured a few minutes later. A wide smile spread across my face, and I gasped quietly in anticipation, shuffling my feet. Stan chuckled, covering my eyes with his large, calloused hands before leading me forward, past several large bushes and small trees.

I heard nothing but the frantic beating of my heart for a few long seconds after that, my hand gripping Stan's, my nails digging into the back of his hands, silently willing him to just show me already.

Chuckling, Stan removed his hand from my eyes.

My breath caught in my throat. There was a shallow river running through the trees, and small fish raced around the rocks in the water, their shiny scales glittering through the water.

There was a river that ran through the trees, Lissa told me when we firstt moved in here. That must have been what Stan and the twins had discovered while they were "exploring". When Lissa had told me about it a week after we moved in here four years ago, I had thought almost nothing of it; that it was just a silly, shallow river taking up space. Never before had I actually _seen_ the river, in person. But now that I _have_, I realized just how beautiful it really was. No picture could ever do this river justice.

"Like it?" Stan asked quietly, grabbing my hand again and leading me toward the edge of the river. There was a giant rock by the edge, and that's where I sat when I reached the river.

There were stepping stones leading a path through the water to the other side of the river, the largest stones in the wide river.

I slid my shoes and socks off, sticking my feet in the water. The water was cold to the bone, and my teeth began to chatter. But the feeling of the soft san between my toes and the smooth stones and the feel of the rouch scales of the fish as they swam past me was enough to keep my feet in the water.

Stan chuckled and sat next to me, his feet on the edge of the river, but his shoe-covered feet were no where near the water. He glanced up at me, his dirty blonde hair shining from the powerful rays of the sun. He opened his mouth to say something (_Probably to tell me how beautiful I looked_, I thought haughtily as I smirked down at where he sat on the mossy earth by the river bank), but before he could say anything, his phone rang shrilly, Lissa's ringtone blasting through the tiny speakers.

Pulling the phone out of his pocket, Stan answered the phone, his face stitching immediately into an expression of worry and panic. Hanging up the phone, Stan shot up to his feet. "We have to go," he snapped, his voice sounding panicked. Grabbing my arm, Stan yanked me to my feet, and he took off running into the woods, dragging me along behind me.

"But what about my - " I began.

"No time." Stan's voice held a hint of something that unnerved me, sending my imaginative mind into overdrive. Something bad happened, I knew that much was true. I just wish he had told me what it was before hauling me away from the river.

Finally breaking through the trees, Stan made his way over to where Lissa, Christian, and Christina were all gathered around a rather large tree. Lissa was in tears, and I could feel her desperation and pain through the weakening bond between us as if the feelings had hit me instead of her.

_What happened?_ I thought wildly as Stan stopped abruptly, rushing past Christina and dropping to his knees. I followed him, despite Lissa yelling at me to just leave it be, just leave it be, everything was going to be fine, perfectly fine. What I saw stopped me dead in my tracks, and my jaw dropped down to my feet, my eyes popping out of my head in disgust, horror, fear, and pain. An immense pain that I was certain would never be healed.

On the ground right beside a large, reddened rock, Christian Jr. laid still, his face paler than usual, his body and the ground around him covered in his own blood.

**A/N: Told you guys it wasn't going to be pretty.**

**This chapter was longer than I had intended it to be, but since it's been a while since the last time I updated, I'm just going to take that as a good thing and say that it's making up for the lack of updates. But anyway, review, please, and tell me what you think of the story so far. ;) I would really love to hear your opinions and your (nice, constructive) criticism, whether they be good or bad.**


	13. Author's NoteApology

**A/N: I am so sorry. Like, you wouldn't believe how sorry I am. Unfortunately, I'd actually forgotten about this story. I left all of you guys hanging, wondering when the next time I was going to update would be, and here I am not even writing anything. *facepalm***

**You know what? I'll make it up to you guys. I'm going to take down the story, but I'll have it back up in a few days PROMISE.. What I'm going to do is go back and edit some stuff, because I know there's spelling and grammatical errors that I could fix. Plus, it's going to help me a lot because, since it's been so long since I've written anything for this story, I forgot quite a bit about it. Although, reading all of your reviews has helped me remember a few more things. But remembering a few things isn't going to help this story at all.**

**And here's something even better. I'll keep this story up for another week, and if I can get at least five reviews welcoming me back and/or congratulating me for remembering my password to the site, I'll keep Christian Jr. alive. Because, to be honest, I'd only killed him off because I got lazy and didn't want to write about him anymore.**

***Shrugs* Sorry... :(**

**Forgive me?**


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